Self-concept, loneliness, and voluntary aloneness during late childhood

Self-concept, defined as individuals’ ideas about their own competences, can be formed by significant external evaluations or internal attributions of one’s characteristics. Many studies have investigated the relationships between loneliness as a painful feeling arising from a lack of social support and self-concept in late childhood without distinguishing specific domains of competence; no studies have been carried out on the potential role of positive uses of voluntary aloneness in late childhood self-concepts. The main aim of the present study is to explore the relationships between self-concept domains, loneliness, attitudes toward aloneness, and uses of voluntary aloneness in late childhood. Measures of loneliness, attitudes toward aloneness, voluntary aloneness, and self-concept were collected in a sample of 267 (126 males) 8- to 10-year-old Italian children. Our results showed that global self-concept was significantly negatively associated with peer-and parent-related loneliness and positively associated with aversion to aloneness. Moreover, self-concept in the parental domain was strongly negatively associated with parent-related loneliness and voluntary aloneness for autonomy and positively associated with voluntary aloneness for concentration. Self-perception in the peer domain was negatively associated with peer- and parent-related loneliness and positively associated with aversion to aloneness and voluntary aloneness for activity. Finally, the academic self-concept was negatively associated with parent-related loneliness and positively associated with voluntary aloneness for concentration. The data were discussed in the light of developmental tasks of late childhood.