Network Correlates of Social and Emotional Loneliness in Young and Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine social network correlates of social and emotional loneliness to demonstrate that social and emotional loneliness are different constructs and (b) to investigate the possibility of age differences in the relationship between loneliness and social network characteristics. Results indicated that for both young and older adults, social and emotional loneliness were moderately correlated with one another and had differential network correlates. Likewise, for both age groups, emotional loneliness was related to the presence of a romantic partner in the network, although this relationship was stronger for the older adults. Correlates of social loneliness also differed between young and older adults. The presence of a close other and size of the network predicted social loneliness for young adults, whereas average closeness of the network predicted social loneliness for older adults.