Solitude and loneliness profiles in early adolescents: A person-centred approach

Objectives. In early adolescence, developmental tasks lead boys and girls to oscillate between the search for and the fear of solitude, between feelings of loneliness and the need for peer contact. Adopting a multidimensional and person-centred approach, the aim of the present study was to distinguish different clusters related to profiles of solitude attitudes and loneliness and to evaluate the role of relational and socio-demographic variables as predictors of cluster belonging. Methods. Measures of loneliness, attitudes towards aloneness, friendship quality, self-esteem and rejection sensitivity were collected in a population of 656 Italian native and immigrant early adolescents. Results. Three clusters emerged, differently predicted by relational and socio-demographic variables. An adaptive and normative profile was found for the Aversion to aloneness and the Constructive solitude clusters, while a more maladaptive profile emerged for the Non-Constructive solitude cluster. Conclusions. The results are discussed in the light of the developmental challenges that early adolescents face.