Conceptualising youth loneliness: a comparison of the opinions of young people and adults

Abstract Loneliness can happen at any stage in life but is known to be particularly common in young people. Long-term loneliness at this age is associated with poor physical and mental health, and lower educational attainment and employment prospects. Given the adverse consequences of loneliness for young people, it is important to identify those experiencing high levels of loneliness and provide tailored support. Research suggests that the experience of loneliness may differ across life stages. However, current measures that are used to quantify loneliness in youth have been developed without the input of young people themselves, instead relying on adult researchers’ conceptualisations of the experience of loneliness for this group, potentially affecting the validity of these measures. Indeed, a recent review found that currently available loneliness measures don't fully capture the range of the affective dimensions of loneliness, as experienced by young people. This presentation will share findings from a study that aimed to explore young people's conceptualisations of their experiences of loneliness, and compare these with how adult experts in the field conceptualise youth loneliness. Using Delphi methodology, we collected the opinions of experts by experience (young people aged 10-24) and adult experts, on the experience of loneliness for young people. We found many similarities between these groups’ thoughts on youth loneliness, however there were subtle differences, highlighting the importance of the affective experiences of loneliness for young people, and the key role that feeling a lack of support by others may play in youth loneliness. These insights further our understanding of youth loneliness, and can inform the development of developmentally sensitive measures and support for young people experiencing loneliness.