Abstract:

Loneliness represents a negative feeling that arises when individuals perceive a discrepancy
between actual and desired social relationships. The present study explored the meanings and
personal experiences of loneliness in children and early adolescents in Italy. Participants included
139 children and early adolescents aged 8–14 years (M = 10.76 years, SD = 1.71; 80 girls, 57.6%)
who completed a semi-structured interview online. Different dimensions emerged from the coding
process, providing evidence of the multidimensional nature of loneliness, defined and experienced
through different dimensions (e.g., cognitive, emotional, and regarding interpersonal context).
Results from descriptive analyses (i.e., frequencies and percentages) showed that most of the
participants defined loneliness in terms of physical separation from others. Also, participants
discussed loneliness in relation to both their family and peers. Some children and adolescents
expressed experiencing loneliness voluntarily. Children and early adolescents reported to feel
sadness, anger and other emotions as boredom, happiness, and fear in associations with loneliness.
Finally, we examined gender and grade differences between the dimensions with a series of chisquare
tests and ANOVAs. Results revealed that primary school children and boys defined and
experienced loneliness using the physical separation dimension. Middle school children defined
loneliness using the cognitive dimension more frequently. Overall, the present study offers a richer
understanding of the meanings and experiences of loneliness in youth and highlights the importance
of considering developmental, gender, and cultural factors when studying loneliness.