Longitudinal Study of Gender Differences in Adolescent Sense of Loneliness: The Roles of Subjective Well-Being, Bullying, and Problematic Internet Use

Abstract This longitudinal study explores the evolving contributors to adolescents’ sense of loneliness (SoL), focusing on subjective well-being (SWB), bullying and problematic internet use (PIU) across two time points. Data were gathered from adolescents aged 10 to 16 using self-reported measures of SWB (cognitive and affective dimensions), bullying experiences, PIU and a direct question on SoL. The analysis included 882 adolescents, with the mean age being 12.46 years (SD = 1.714) at Time 1 and 12.98 years (SD = 1.709) at Time 2. The participants comprised school students from Catalonia (north-east Spain), who completed questionnaires in Catalan. The results show that SWB serves as a protective factor against SoL, particularly at Time 1, where higher life satisfaction, happiness and friendship satisfaction were associated with lower levels of SoL. However, by Time 2, the influence of SWB had decreased and bullying and PIU had become more significant. Social exclusion, which is an aspect of bullying, consistently predicted SoL at both time points, while PIU only emerged as a significant factor at Time 2. Gender differences were also identified: for boys, happiness remained protective at both time points, although calm was linked to higher SoL at Time 2, suggesting emotional detachment. For girls, happiness and satisfaction with friendships predicted lower SoL at Time 1, while feeling nervous emerged as a significant predictor at Time 2. These findings underline the dynamic nature of adolescent SoL and the importance of considering gender-specific factors in interventions aimed at addressing loneliness.