Loneliness and personal well‐being in young people: Moderating effects of individual, interpersonal, and community factors

INTRODUCTION: Loneliness is prevalent among young people. But, there is little work exploring the association between loneliness with well‐being among this age group. Framed by social‐ecological theory, we examined demographic, interpersonal, and community factors associated with personal wellbeing and, critically, identified malleable moderators of the relationship between loneliness and well‐being that could be targeted in intervention efforts. METHODS: We used cross‐sectional, secondary data from 965 young people (aged 16–24) from the Community Life Survey in England. Loneliness was measured using a single‐item direct measure; personal wellbeing was measured through a composite measure containing items assessing happiness, life satisfaction, and a sense that life is worthwhile (α = 0.88). Regression techniques were used to assess associations between individual, interpersonal, and community factors and well‐being, and to identify moderators of the relationship between loneliness and well‐being. RESULTS: Loneliness was negatively associated with well‐being. Chatting with neighbors and having people to provide help moderated the relationship between loneliness and well‐being. Full‐time students and those with good physical health had higher well‐being while being a carer was predictive of lower well‐being. All community variables were strongly associated with increased well‐being. Of all interpersonal variables investigated, only having people to count on was associated with increased well‐being. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that supportive relationships and close community ties are important for reducing the negative impact of loneliness on youth well‐being. Interventions to improve well‐being could benefit from targeting these aspects of young people's social and community lives, while acknowledging individual vulnerabilities, such as poor physical health.