Popularity, friendship, and loneliness in children's peer group

This study was conducted to examine the loneliness associating popularity and mutual friendship in children. Fifth- and 6th-grade children (N=313) completed the sociometric positive nomination measures, self-reports of loneliness, and self-perceptions of sociability, aggression, and withdrawal. Results indicated that children with three friends reported significantly less loneliness, and lower rating score of withdrawn social behavior than children who had no friends, one friend, and two friends. But these latter three groups did not differ significantly from each other. In addition, another analyses, concerning children who had one or more friends, identified that children in the high-popularity group reported significantly less loneliness, and lower rating score of withdrawn social behavior than children in the average- and low-pupularity groups. These findings were generally consistent with the additive model; especially loneliness was determined by an additive combination of withdrawn social behavior, low peer acceptance, and few or no friendships