Knowing Who You Are for Not Feeling Lonely? A Longitudinal Study on Identity and Loneliness
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In adolescence, both identity concerns and feelings of loneliness are of utmost importance to the experiences of young people. Yet, a theoretically grounded hypothesis that identity and loneliness are developmentally related has never been tested. Thus, the aim of this study was to disentangle the longitudinal associations between identity processes in educational and interpersonal domains and loneliness in adolescence. The sample consisted of 632 Lithuanian adolescents (53.2% girls; Mage = 14.32; SDage = 1.09) participating in a four-wave study with 6-month intervals between assessments. Cross-lagged analyses revealed reciprocal associations between identity processes and loneliness in the educational domain and unidirectional effects of adolescents' reconsideration of commitment on loneliness in the interpersonal domain.
Source: Child Development
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13294
Institutions: Mykolas Romeris University, University of Bologna
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2966753191