Self-identified causes of longing for touch in adults: An exploratory study

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of longing for touch (LFT) is high, but little is known about the potential causes. In order to provide insights into this, the current study mapped the self-identified causes of LFT in a community sample. A total of 186 adults participated in the study. The prevalence of LFT was 76.3 %. Participants with LFT were asked to identify the causes by responding to thirteen closed items and one open question. The thirteen closed items were constructed based on literature and conversations with professionals. An exploratory factor analysis conducted on these thirteen items resulted in two factors: physical distance and internal barriers. In general, physical distance was a significantly more prominent self-identified cause than internal barriers. Interestingly, men were more likely to indicate that internal barriers were a cause of their LFT than women. These results provide the first insights into the potential causes of LFT. Future studies should focus on replicating these findings in larger and more diverse samples, as well as investigating which causes are most suitable targets for interventions.