Loneliness experienced in different contexts: Bidirectional relationships between peer-related and parent-related loneliness

Introduction. Loneliness is a negative emotional reaction to the experienced discrepancy between perceived and desired quantity or quality of social relations (Perlman & Peplau, 1981). Because different relationships are assumed to fulfil different social needs (Weiss, 1973), it is often assumed that loneliness can be experienced in various relationships (DiTommaso & Spinner, 1997; Goossens, 2016). Loneliness experiences within different relationships have been related differentially related to various measures of adjustment (e.g., DiTommaso, Brannen, & Best, 2004; Lasgaard, Goossens, & Elklit, 2011). Although it has been suggested that loneliness in one relationship (e.g., parents) might put one at risk for experiencing loneliness in another relationship (e.g., peers; Rubin et al., 2004), it remains unclear whether this influence is unidirectional or bidirectional. The current study aimed to gain more insight into the relation between parent-related loneliness and peer-related loneliness over time. Methods. Three independent samples were used to examine the associations between peer- and parent-related loneliness. A total of 1,552 adolescents (46.60% male, M = 12.93 years old) participated in the first study, 552 adolescents (37.20% male, M = 14.82 years old) participated in the second study, and 1,474 adolescents (35.94%, M = 15.45 years old) participated in the third study. In all samples, parent- and peer-related loneliness were assessed with the subsequent subscales of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents (LACA; Goossens, 2016). A cross-lagged panel model was estimated in Mplus. The current poster presents the results of a meta-analysis that was conducted across the three samples. For this meta-analysis, a fixed effect model was applied (Field & Gillett, 2010) and betas were used as substitutes of Pearson’s r (Peterson & Brown, 2005). Results. First, the results show a high stability for peer- and parent-related loneliness. Second, moderate, positive within-time correlations were found between peer- and parent-related loneliness. Last, the meta-analysis indicates significant bidirectional relations over time between peer- and parent-related loneliness. More specifically, peer-related loneliness was related to more parent-related loneliness one year later, and parent-related loneliness was related to more peer-related loneliness one year later (see Figure 1). Conclusion. Parent-related and peer-related loneliness proved to be stable over time. In addition, parent-related and peer-related loneliness were found to be concurrently and longitudinally correlated with each other. Thereby, the findings seem to be in line with a transactional model (Sameroff, 2009). Future studies might examine mediating factors in order to provide more insight into how or why loneliness in various contexts influence each other.status: accepte