Facets of adolescents' loneliness: A study of rural and urban Australian youth

Abstract

This study investigated dimensions of adolescents' loneliness (general, emotional, social) across gender, grade, and rural and urban localities. Nine hundred and thirty-four youth completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Emotional and Social Loneliness Scale. Findings indicated that males reported a higher level of general loneliness than females, and that Grade 7 youth reported a lower level of general loneliness than youth in Grades 9 and 11. Youth reported higher levels of social loneliness than emotional loneliness. These differences occurred across gender and across locality. Rural males and urban females reported higher levels of social loneliness than emotional loneliness, while no differences were found for rural females or urban males. Findings imply the need for sensitivity to the dimensions of loneliness as experienced by youth of different age, gender, and locality.