TY - JOUR
T1 - Loneliness trajectories and psychological distress in youth
T2 - Longitudinal evidence from a population-based sample
AU - Kirwan, Emma M.
AU - Luchetti, Martina
AU - Burns, Annette
AU - O'Súilleabháin, Páraic S.
AU - Creaven, Ann Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - This pre-registered secondary analysis aimed to examine distinct longitudinal loneliness trajectories in youth and whether these trajectories were associated with psychological distress at final follow-up in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Participants (N = 827, 55.1% female, Time 1: M ± SD = 16.50 ± 0.50 years) provided data during Waves 9, 10 and 11. K-means longitudinal clustering analysis was used to identify clusters of participants with distinct loneliness trajectories across measurement waves. We identified four clusters demonstrating distinct trajectories of loneliness: stable low (40.7%), stable high (20.6%), moderate decreasing (19.6%) and low increasing (19.1%). Compared to ‘stable low loneliness’, ‘stable high’ and ‘low increasing’ loneliness clusters were significantly associated with psychological distress at Wave 11 following adjustment for sex, ethnicity, parent's highest educational achievement and Wave 9 psychological distress. The current study offers an important contribution to the literature on patterns of youth loneliness and mental health consequences.
AB - This pre-registered secondary analysis aimed to examine distinct longitudinal loneliness trajectories in youth and whether these trajectories were associated with psychological distress at final follow-up in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Participants (N = 827, 55.1% female, Time 1: M ± SD = 16.50 ± 0.50 years) provided data during Waves 9, 10 and 11. K-means longitudinal clustering analysis was used to identify clusters of participants with distinct loneliness trajectories across measurement waves. We identified four clusters demonstrating distinct trajectories of loneliness: stable low (40.7%), stable high (20.6%), moderate decreasing (19.6%) and low increasing (19.1%). Compared to ‘stable low loneliness’, ‘stable high’ and ‘low increasing’ loneliness clusters were significantly associated with psychological distress at Wave 11 following adjustment for sex, ethnicity, parent's highest educational achievement and Wave 9 psychological distress. The current study offers an important contribution to the literature on patterns of youth loneliness and mental health consequences.
KW - adolescence
KW - loneliness
KW - psychological distress
KW - trajectory
KW - understanding society
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85209376166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/bjdp.12533
DO - 10.1111/bjdp.12533
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85209376166
SN - 0261-510X
JO - British Journal of Developmental Psychology
JF - British Journal of Developmental Psychology
ER -