title: Loneliness and Attitudes Toward Aloneness in Adolescence: A Person-Centered Approach.
abstract: In adolescence, feeling lonely and dealing with time spent alone become particularly salient. The present study examined the co-occurrence of parent- and peer-related loneliness, and positive and negative attitudes toward aloneness, using cluster analysis. In three independent samples, covering about 1800 adolescents (61 % female), six meaningful groups were identified. These groups showed different associations with adolescents' self-esteem and personality, parental responsiveness and psychological control, and peer group functioning and friendships. An adaptive pattern of correlates was found for adolescents in three of the six groups, that is, the Indifference group (with rather low scores on the four constructs), the Moderate group (with moderate scores on the four constructs), and the Negative Attitude Toward Aloneness group. A rather maladaptive pattern of correlates was found for adolescents in the three other groups, that is, the Peer-Related Loneliness group, the Positive Attitude Toward Aloneness group, and the Parent-Related Loneliness group. More specifically, adolescents in the Peer-Related Loneliness and Positive Attitude Toward Aloneness groups may need assistance regarding their relations with their peers, whereas adolescents in the Parent-Related Loneliness group may need assistance regarding their relations with their parents. Implications of these findings for current understanding and optimal measurement of adolescents' loneliness and aloneness are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Research Group of School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development (SCAD), KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3717, 3000, Louvain, Belgium. Marlies.Maes@ppw.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Marlies
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: Research Group of School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development (SCAD), KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3717, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanhalst
authors.affiliation: Research Group of School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development (SCAD), KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3717, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annette W M
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Spithoven
authors.affiliation: Research Group of Methodology of Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3762, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van den Noortgate
authors.affiliation: Research Group of School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development (SCAD), KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3717, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goossens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescents; Attitudes toward aloneness; Cluster analysis; Loneliness; Parents; Peers