Loneliness, reputational orientations and positive mental well-being during adolescence

Adolescence is the peak period for social development, identity formation and heightened vulnerability for loneliness. This study examined multidimensional loneliness, reputational orientations, and positive mental well-being among 546 Western Australian adolescents aged 12 to 16 years. Findings revealed main effects of age and gender for loneliness, with gender effects for positive mental well-being and reputational orientations. A regression analysis confirmed these gender effects and revealed that positive mental well-being had the highest individual contribution to the variances in reputational orientation scores. Findings suggest the need to assist adolescents to learn to use their time positively to enhance positive mental well-being. This might be achieved through the development of social identities and the enhancement of social relationships, which in turn may promote an integrated and coherent sense of self in adolescents and in doing so alleviate different forms of loneliness. Schools are ideally placed to promote healthy relationships and positive well-being, particularly through the development of schoolbased loneliness programmes with a focus on peer reputations