HELSINKI - Adolescents growing up in disadvantaged households follow different pathways into loneliness, shaped by bullying, family conflict, and the structure of their social connections, according to findings from a UK national cohort of adolescents and young adults. 

Researchers found that young people facing high socioeconomic marginalization were more likely to report severe bullying. They also showed stronger links between specific aspects of loneliness and social connection than their peers.

Family and friend relationships, as well as past bullying, continued to influence loneliness into late adolescence. 

“Our experiences of loneliness, which is when our need for social and emotional connection is unmet, and the people that we turn to in adolescence, are really poignant, and they can stay with us,” said Kathryn Bates, PhD, research fellow at Kings College London. She presented the findings at the 18th European Public Health Conference.

“Talking about worries with family and friends, relying on friends, and past nonphysical bullying were central [to social connections and loneliness],” she said. “Some connections were strong in high socioeconomic marginalization groups, underscoring the impact of the socioeconomic context.”

Evidence was also found to challenge the social reorientation hypothesis, which suggests adolescents shift to prioritizing friendships over family relationships.

“Overall, our evidence is challenging this social reorientation hypothesis, because it's showing that family connections remain important in loneliness and social connection, into late adolescence,” Bates said.

Exploring Social Networks and Loneliness

Bates noted that adolescence is a period of rapid biological, social, and emotional change. “Adolescence is a time when peer and intimate relationships become more important.”

At the same time, young people face “increased exam pressure, caring responsibilities, and important life transitions.” These transitions, such as leaving school or home, place adolescents at heightened risk for loneliness, she said, noting, “It’s therefore not surprising that loneliness is common in adolescence.”

The mechanisms as to why young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds may be at higher risk for loneliness remain unclear. To address this, Bates used network analysis to explore how social relationships contribute to loneliness.

Data were drawn from around 2500 adolescents and young people aged 16-24 in the Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study cohort, considered representative of the UK general population. 

“Instead of testing one cause of an issue, network analysis meant we could look at different symptoms and see how that constellation leads to the issue — for example, feeling left out in companionship and loneliness in social connection, feeling like you can’t rely on your friends or family,” Bates said.

The team explored facets of loneliness and social connection, including talking to family or friends about worries, and relying on friends. They also examined bullying between the ages of 10 and 15 to see how earlier experiences shaped later social networks.

Socioeconomic marginalization was measured as household income relative to the local average.

“There’s evidence that adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds report higher rates of loneliness than their peers, but the mechanism as to why that might be is not entirely clear,” Bates said.

Family Ties and Inequality

The analysis showed that early peer bullying was linked to loneliness in late adolescence.

“Family and friend connections matter differently… not all were related in the same way. Some showed that relying on friends was associated with feeling less able to turn to family, for example,” Bates said.

Economic marginalization was also found to reshape social networks. “Some of these relationships in types of social connection were stronger in the high economic marginalization group compared to the low.”

Youth co-researchers involved in the project also highlighted the importance of early bullying and the value of support from both family and friends during stressful periods such as exams.

Implications for Policy and Prevention

One of the most striking conclusions challenged a dominant developmental theory, Bates reported. “We found that family connections remain important in late adolescence… family relationships are still important in loneliness and social connection.”

The findings point to intervention opportunities, especially for disadvantaged youth, said Bates, who noted that “both bullying and social connection with family and friends could be promising prevention targets, especially for economically marginalized young people.”

Kathryn Bates declared no relevant financial disclosures.