The process of loneliness for female adolescents: a feminist perspective

Although it has not been established that females are lonelier than males, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to loneliness. A feminist, grounded-theory study was conducted to explore the everyday loneliness experiences of 10 white, middle-class females living in an urban/suburban area in New Brunswick, Canada. Creating Connections, the core variable, emerged as the social process involved as the young women learned to deal with loneliness. The complexity of the phenomenon is evident in the fact that various combinations of disconnecting factors and intervening factors were found to influence the dimensions of loneliness (i.e., intensity and duration). The interaction of these factors and various strategies used to manage loneliness--creating connections, emoting, and creating actions--completed the nonlinear process. A significant, yet paradoxical, finding was that the relationships that were helpful in the resolution of loneliness could also be responsible for its creation and maintenance.