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Loneliness and Friendship Quality in Early Adolescence: Analyzing Bidirectional Associations

Authors and Affiliations

  • Flore Geukens: KU Leuven, School Psychology and Development in Context, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

  • Susanne Buecker: German Sport University Cologne, Psychological Institute, 50933 Cologne, Germany

  • Wim Van den Noortgate: KU Leuven, ITEC, an imec research group, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium

  • Patricia Bijttebier: KU Leuven, Clinical Psychology, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

  • Guy Bosmans: KU Leuven, Parenting and Special Education, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

  • Karla Van Leeuwen: KU Leuven, School Psychology and Development in Context, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

Article Information

  • Keywords: Loneliness, Friendship quality, Early adolescence, Cross-Lagged Panel Model (CLPM)

  • Abstract:

    • Research objective: Examine whether loneliness and friendship quality are bidirectionally associated over time.

    • Theoretical framework: Supports from the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018) & classical loneliness definition (Peplau & Perlman, 1982).

    • Sample: 615 adolescents (average age = 10.77 years; 53.5% girls) participated in a longitudinal study over three waves with one-year intervals.

    • Measurement:

    • Loneliness: Measured using the peer-related loneliness subscale of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents.

    • Friendship Quality: Measured using the help and closeness subscales of the Friendship Qualities Scale.

    • Results:

    • Higher friendship quality correlates with lower concurrent loneliness (consistent with prior research).

    • No evidence for across-time predictions between loneliness and friendship quality observed, hence findings do not support some theoretical aspects of loneliness.

Introduction

  • Definition of Loneliness:

    • Described as the painful and negative experience of dissatisfaction regarding social relationships (Peplau & Perlman, 1982).

    • Common misconception: Loneliness is only a problem in older individuals.

    • Research indicates loneliness levels peak during adolescence (Qualter et al., 2015).

  • Developmental Importance:

    • Early adolescents undergo a crucial developmental task of forming and maintaining high-quality friendships, with peers becoming more influential as parental importance diminishes (Laursen & Hartl, 2013; Steinberg & Morris, 2001).

    • High-quality friendships characterized by feelings of closeness and mutual support (Bagwell & Bukowski, 2018; Bukowski et al., 1994).

  • Research Context:

    • Existing studies indicate a correlation between lower friendship quality and higher loneliness (Vanhalst et al., 2014).

    • Uncertainty persists regarding whether loneliness contributes to unsatisfying friendships or vice versa (Schwartz-Mette et al., 2020).

  • Aim of the Study: Investigate the longitudinal bidirectional association between loneliness and friendship quality (closeness and help) in early adolescence.

Loneliness and Friendship Quality

  • Adaptive Features of Loneliness:

    • Temporary feelings of loneliness can signal unmet social needs, similar to hunger or thirst (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018).

    • Prolonged loneliness may lead to chronic loneliness with cognitive biases in social information processing and negative social behaviors hindering reconnections (Qualter et al., 2015).

  • Bidirectional Effects:

    • Insufficient quality in relationships may lead to feelings of loneliness, but loneliness may also reduce perceived quality in relationships.

    • Evolutionary Theory: Suggests that cognitive biases might cause lonely individuals to interpret relationships pessimistically (Lodder et al., 2017).

    • Negative behaviors of lonely individuals may cause others to react negatively, further diminishing the quality of social relationships (Kerr & Stanley, 2020).

    • Types of Loneliness: Loneliness can occur in various relationships, such as parent-child, romantic, and friendships (Goossens, 2016).

  • Previous Research Findings:

    • Overall, findings reveal a consistent negative association between loneliness and friendship quality, but empirical evidence for bidirectional links remains limited (Schwartz-Mette et al., 2020).

  • Study Expansion:

    • Aimed to broaden research scope by including participants irrespective of friendship reciprocity to better capture loneliness across different friendship contexts.

The Current Study

  • Hypotheses:

    • Expectation of a negative association between loneliness and friendship quality at a given time.

    • Anticipated bidirectional associations: loneliness at time t-1 negatively predicting friendship quality at time t and vice versa.

Method

Participants and Procedure

  • Participants: Sample from the MIND project (Methylation in Development), a longitudinal study on adolescent development.

  • Recruitment: Through flyers, social media, and school information sessions.

  • Data Collection: Conducted across three waves (2017-2020).

    • Initial waves in schools or labs; third wave included home visits.

  • Exclusion Criteria: Adolescents without friends were excluded (N=7).

  • Final Sample: 615 adolescents, Mage = 10.77 years (SD = 0.50), 53.5% girls.

Attrition Analysis

  • Non-participants (N=287) were older, but no significant differences found in loneliness, friendship quality, or gender attributes.

Measures

  • Loneliness: Assessed via peer-related loneliness subscale of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents (12 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale).

  • Friendship Quality: Measured using the help and closeness subscales of the Friendship Qualities Scale (each comprising 5 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale).

Statistical Analyses

  • Bidirectional associations examined using a Cross-Lagged Panel Model (CLPM).

  • Fit Indices: Evaluated using Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and others.

Results

Descriptive Statistics

  • Means, standard deviations, and correlations indicated moderate stability of loneliness and friendship quality over time with concurrent negative associations.

Bidirectional Effects

  • After model fit comparisons, the constrained model was preferred with no significant bidirectional effects found.

    • Significant negative correlation identified at each measurement point.

Discussion

  • Findings did not support the expected bidirectional association.

  • Supported previous studies demonstrating concurrent associations rather than longitudinal predictions.

  • Raises questions on whether relationship quality significantly contributes to the development of loneliness.

    • Suggests potential greater importance of social relationship quantity over quality.

  • Suggested that future research should explore the dynamics of friendship quality and quantity longitudinally.

Limitations and Future Research Directions

  • Methods: Current measures focused only on social loneliness ignoring emotional loneliness. Future studies should include measures assessing emotional aspects.

  • Friendship Quality Assessments: Limited to two subscales; future research should incorporate broader aspects of friendship quality.

  • Friendship Stability: Research should explore connections between friendship stability and loneliness further.

  • Demographics and Sample Diversity: Findings may not generalize due to a homogeneous sample. Research should target diverse demographic groups for validation.

  • Research Time Intervals: Shorter intervals might capture more accurately the evolving associations between loneliness and friendship quality.

Conclusion

  • No evidence supported longitudinal bidirectional associations between loneliness and friendship quality; rather, they appeared to be concurrently associated. Further empirical studies are necessary to validate findings and explore deeper aspects of loneliness and social relationships among adolescents.