A developmental study of
loneliness in childhood.
Dr. Maureen Liepins
p
Introduction
z
z
z
z
z
This paper describes a study which provides evidence for
th challenge
the
h ll
which
hi h primary
i
school
h l pupils
il fface when
h th
they
experience loneliness. The drawings were reproduced
from the children
children’s
s work in the course of the study
study.
This paper includes:
A summary of earlier research
The rationale for this study of loneliness in children
A description of the methodology of the study
A summary of the findings
Implications for interventions
Summary of research
z Little research into loneliness was reported
before the 1970s
z Research is difficult because of the
subjective
j
nature of the concept
p
z Most research was carried out with adults
z The focus, purposes, definitions and
populations in reported research differed
widely
z Different conceptualisations of loneliness
were used (e.g. social needs model,
cognitive
g
p
processes))
z Approaches to assessment and
measurement varied
Summary of research (cont.)
(cont )
z Weiss (1973) distinguished between loneliness
associated with social isolation and loneliness
associated with emotional isolation.
z Research indicates that loneliness in adults is a multidimensional phenomenon with negative connotations,
experienced cross-culturally
z Chronic loneliness in adults is associated with threats to
h lth and
health
d well-being.
ll b i
The rationale for this study of loneliness in children
z Increasing interest in promoting mental
health in children and young people
z Implications of chronic loneliness in adults
z Lack of research with children
z Earlier researchers thought children didn’t
didn t
experience loneliness
z Increasing evidence that children as young
as 3 years old are aware of loneliness
published re loneliness
z Veryy little research p
in children in UK
Rationale for this study of loneliness in children
(cont.)
z Methodology rarely investigated
children’s language
z Existing research with children shared
some difficulties
diffi lti off research
h with
ith
adults e.g. issues re measurement,
definitions
z Some research developed from social
skills work – ‘loneliness’ was not the
original
i i l ffocus
z Researchers focussed on specific age
groups – developmental issues not
addressed
Rationale for this study of loneliness in children
(cont.)
z Researchers did not always use the word
‘lonely’ in their work with children
z Little research about whether children
considered loneliness to be a problem
z Little research about coping strategies
z Parkhurst and Hopmeyer (1999) – potentially
useful developmental
p
framework
The methodology of the study
z Children from NC Years 1, 3, and 5
in three schools
z 85 children (46 boys, 39 girls)
z Children selected randomly with
parental consent
z Content of investigation explained to
teachers
z Children
Child
iinterviewed
t i
d iindividually
di id ll
z ‘Warm-up exercise’ introduced the
children to talking about feelings
The methodology of the study (cont.)
(cont )
z Children not required to read or write - allowed to draw if
th wished
they
i h d
z Structured interview used
z The
Th children’s
hild ’ verbal
b l ability
bilit assessed
d using
i BASII
z The children’s responses audio-taped and transcribed
z Slight alterations were made to the procedures after pilot
study
z Content
C t t children’s
hild ’ d
drawings
i
nott analyzed.
l
d
z Content of verbal responses analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively Coding procedure was used; inter
quantitatively.
inter-coder
coder
reliability was assessed.
Structured interview
z What does 'lonely' mean?
z Does a boy or girl have to be on their own or alone to feel lonely? Why
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
is that?
Do girls or boys always feel lonely when they are on their own or
alone? Why is that?
Where might a boy or girl feel lonely?
What sort of things might have happened?
Can you tell me about a time when you felt lonely?
Do you think children can feel lonely in school? Why is that?
Where might they feel most lonely in school?
If children
hild
f l lonely
feel
l
l in
i school,
h l will
ill they
th feel
f l lonely
l
l in
i other
th places
l
t ?
too?
Why is that?
How do you know when a boy or girl in your class feels lonely?
H
How
d you feel
do
f l when
h you feel
f l lonely?
l
l ?
If children feel unhappy because they are lonely, what can they do
about it?
Example of coding categories
categories,
What does lonely mean?
Code
Exemplar
p
1
Child uses words such as ‘on your own’; ‘alone’. Indicates isolation or separation from
other people.
2
Child mentions a p
place – ‘at home’;; ‘in your
y
room’;; ‘on holiday’
y
3
Child mentions that other people (named or not) are absent: ‘nobody’s with you’ 'mum is
not there'
4
Child mentions specific actions of another person (i
(i.e.
e not just that they are absent) which
contributed to the child feeling lonely: ‘your mum has gone out’; 'your friends don’t want to
play'.
5
Child talks about own actions or behaviour which contributed to them feeling
g lonely–
y
‘you’ve got lost’; 'I was moody'.
6
Feeling lonely is described in terms of another feeling: ‘it’s when you feel sad’. Child may
use a word which to them is synonymous: 'it's a sort of problem'.
7
Child describes something they want, but which isn't happening - an unmet need ‘you want
to play but there’s no one there’.
8
Child names a person/group of people considered to be lonely: ‘X in my class’; ‘old
people’;
l ’ ‘h
‘homeless
l
people’.
l ’
9
Child says: 'Don’t know'; 'No idea'; 'Can't say'.
Summary of findings
z No significant age/gender/school
differences in verbal ability
z All children were willing to talk about
loneliness
z They used negative terminology
z Descriptions were multidimensional
z Some children in each age group
differentiated lonely/alone
z Differentiation of lonely/alone increased
with age
z Children described several locations
(including school) where they might feel
lonely
Summaryy of findings
g ((cont.))
z Younger
g children tended to attribute
loneliness to separation from parent
z Older children more likely to refer to
exclusion from friendship group or within-self
factors
z Most children identified loneliness in others
based on physical appearance but older
children also referred to knowledge of events
z Involvement in play/friendship group
mentioned as main coping strategy
strategy.
z Developmental trend re mention of feeling
lonely
o e y in p
presence
ese ce o
of ot
other
e peop
people.
e
Implications
p
for interventions
z Primary school age children talk
about loneliness in complex ways
z They dislike feeling lonely but
identified few coping strategies
z Similar findings across schools
despite differences in catchment
areas
z Developmental trends were
identified
de
ed
z Feeling lonely ≠ being alone
z Some children mentioned positive
p
aspects of being alone
Implications
p
for interventions ((cont.))
z Evidence found for loneliness associated with emotional
isolation – not just lack of friends
z Implications
p
for school organisational
g
factors
z Value of using children’s language and qualitative
methods in future research
z Implications for promotion of emotional well-being –
loneliness had not been addressed in these schools
z Evidence for children’s understanding of loneliness as ‘ a
sad or aching sense of isolation: that is, of being cut off
or distanced
di t
d from
f
others’
th ’ (Parkhurst
(P kh t and
dH
Hopmeyer,
1999)