Social context and loneliness in an epidemiological youth sample using the Experience Sampling Method

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• Loneliness is linked to affect, and trait loneliness to state loneliness.
• The impact of social context on the loneliness-affect relationship remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how social context influences the association between trait loneliness, state loneliness, and momentary affect in adolescents.
• To explore differences in affect and state loneliness based on trait loneliness levels within various social settings.

Main Methods:

• Experience Sampling Method (ESM) used with adolescents (15-24 years) from a Hong Kong epidemiological study.
• Participants categorized into high lonely (HL) and low lonely (LL) groups based on baseline trait loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale).
• Multilevel logistic regression analyzed associations between momentary affect, state loneliness, trait loneliness, and social context.

Main Results:

• The HL group exhibited lower positive affect (PA), higher negative affect (NA), and greater state loneliness than the LL group.
• HL group's state loneliness decreased when in intimate company compared to being alone.
• LL group reported higher PA when with intimate company versus non-intimate company or alone.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with high trait loneliness experienced lower PA and higher NA, but also lower state loneliness in intimate company.
• The quality of social interactions is critical for modulating positive affect and state loneliness in adolescents.