Exploring child and youth understanding of loneliness through qualitative insights and evaluating loneliness measures considering those lived experiences

Abstract

The overall goal of this paper is to enhance the understanding and measurement of loneliness by identifying key experiential characteristics of loneliness in children and adolescents, and determine whether there is a need for refined assessment tools that accurately capture that experience. In Study 1, we synthesized the qualitative research on the child and youth experience of loneliness and found shared characteristics of loneliness, with some differences related to developmental changes (e.g., understanding of contexts influencing the experience of loneliness). In Study 2, we reviewed the items from loneliness questionnaires for children and youth and found they do not fully capture the affective dimension of loneliness, that is, the breadth of emotions associated with loneliness. That gap could lead to an incomplete understanding of the phenomenon, potentially undermining the validity of research findings and the effectiveness of interventions designed to alleviate loneliness because they underplay the distress of the experience for children and young people. Addressing this shortcoming should include the development and/or refinement of measurements of loneliness for children and youth, enhancing the accuracy and relevance of loneliness assessments.