Exploring the role of conduct problems in enduring loneliness among Dutch MBO students

Abstract

Previous work shows that loneliness is temporary for most, but enduring for others. For those individuals, loneliness can have detrimental outcomes, such as decreased well-being and poor sleep quality. However, it remains unclear for whom loneliness is temporary and for whom loneliness endures. The current study used data from the Youth Got Talent (YGT) project to investigate loneliness over a period of six months and whether adolescents with conduct problems are more vulnerable to enduring loneliness using a two-wave longitudinal design. This study advances previous work by identifying a possible vulnerable group for enduring loneliness. A linear regression analysis was conducted and the final sample consisted of 560 Dutch MBO students aged 16-24 (M = 17.04 years, SD = 1.41, 57% female). The results show that, in line with the first hypothesis, loneliness in the first wave is a strong and positive predictor of loneliness in the second wave. However, contrary to the second hypothesis, no significant interaction effect between loneliness (Wave 1) and conduct problems was found. This suggests that the current study did not find evidence that adolescents with conduct problems are more vulnerable to enduring loneliness. Future research could further explore underlying mechanisms in adolescents with conduct problems in relation to enduring loneliness, such as negative cognitive biases. This way, key elements for interventions targeting enduring loneliness can be identified.