Loneliness, social support and self-esteem among Vietnamese young people

Purpose This study aims to examine how perceived social support from friends, family and significant others is associated with loneliness among Vietnamese young people and whether self-esteem explains these associations. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 996 Vietnamese young people aged 16–30 from Hanoi, Phu Tho, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Participants completed the UCLA loneliness scale (Version 3), the multidimensional scale of perceived social support and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES). Pearson correlations, path analysis and multi-group comparisons were used. Findings Using adjusted descriptive thresholds, 56.6% of participants were classified in the high-loneliness group. Self-esteem was the strongest correlate of loneliness. Friend support had a direct association with lower loneliness, whereas family support was associated with lower loneliness indirectly through self-esteem. Age comparisons showed that friend support was more strongly related to loneliness among participants aged 16–18, while self-esteem was more strongly related to loneliness among participants aged 19–30. Practical implications Youth mental health initiatives should be age-sensitive and focus on the quality of support rather than the number of social contacts. Peer-based programmes may be especially important for reducing loneliness directly, while family-oriented support should strengthen emotional acceptance, communication and self-worth. Originality/value This study adds evidence from Vietnam by showing that different sources of support are linked to loneliness through different pathways. The findings also suggest that these patterns vary across age groups, highlighting the need to understand loneliness in a more developmentally sensitive way.