The developmental course of loneliness in adolescence: Implications for mental health, educational attainment, and psychosocial functioning
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Abstract The present study examined patterns of stability and change in loneliness across adolescence. Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a UK population-representative cohort of 2,232 individuals born in 1994 and 1995. Loneliness was assessed when participants were aged 12 and 18. Loneliness showed modest stability across these ages ( r = .25). Behavioral genetic modeling indicated that stability in loneliness was explained largely by genetic influences (66%), while change was explained by nonshared environmental effects (58%). Individuals who reported loneliness at both ages were broadly similar to individuals who only reported it at age 18, with both groups at elevated risk of mental health problems, physical health risk behaviors, and education and employment difficulties. Individuals who were lonely only at age 12 generally fared better; however, they were still more likely to finish school with lower qualifications. Positive family influences in childhood predicted reduced risk of loneliness at age 12, while negative peer experiences increased the risk. Together, the findings show that while early adolescent loneliness does not appear to exert a cumulative burden when it persists, it is nonetheless a risk for a range of concomitant impairments, some of which can endure.
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The finding that change in emotional and social problems is primarily accounted for by environmental influences is consistent with longitudinal twin studies.
“As such, this finding is consistent with longitudinal twin studies showing that change in emotional and social problems is primarily accounted for by environmental influences (Brendgen et al., 2022; Matthews et al., 2022; Nivard et al., 2015).”
From A cross‐lagged twin study of emotional symptoms, social isolation and peer victimisation from early adolescence to emerging adulthood (2023) · cites this paper as Matthews et al., 2022
The Results (Biometric analyses) report that nonshared environmental influences explained 58% of change in loneliness between ages 12 and 18, supporting the claim for this social difficulty. The paper does not establish that environmental influences primarily account for change in emotional and social problems generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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- Authors
- Matthews, T., Qualter, P., Bryan, B. T., Caspi, A., Danese, A., Moffitt, T. E., Odgers, C. L., Strange, L., & Arseneault, L.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Duke University (US)
- National Health Service (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Arseneault, Louise
- Venue
- Development and Psychopathology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2022-02-03
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 537-546
- ISSN
- 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2198
- PMC
- PMC9346093
- OpenAlex
- W4210590638
- Cited by
- 84
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 13.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (University of Greenwich) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- King's College London
- Jacobs Foundation (G1002190, HD077482)
- Medical Research Council (HD077482, G1002190)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/P010113/1)
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (G1002190, HD077482)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD077482)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Keywords
- loneliness, adolescence, genetic factors, nonshared environment, mental health, educational attainment, employment problems, family influence, peer experiences, Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study
- MeSH terms
- Academic Success, Psychosocial Functioning, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Educational Status, Humans, Loneliness, Longitudinal Studies, Mental Health
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