The Developmental Trajectories of Loneliness in Emerging Adulthood and the Associations With Worldview

This four-wave longitudinal study examined the developmental trajectories of emotional and social loneliness in Chinese emerging adults ( N = 737, 65.1% women; M age t1 = 18.32, SD = 0.78), as well as their associations with worldview beliefs. Results revealed an increasing trend in emotional loneliness, with no significant change observed in social loneliness. After controlling for age and family socioeconomic status (SES), social loneliness was more strongly associated with belief in a just world (BJW), while emotional loneliness was associated with conspiracy worldview belief (CWB). Further gender difference analysis revealed stable loneliness levels in men but slight increases in women for both emotional and social loneliness. Additionally, social loneliness was associated with higher CWB in women. Findings highlight the distinct roles of emotional loneliness and social loneliness in shaping worldview beliefs during emerging adulthood, with women more vulnerable to the negative effects of social loneliness.