Adolescent friendships are reflected on life satisfaction years later, according to a study conducted in Kuopio.
The follow-up study shows that loneliness experienced in adolescence is associated with lower life satisfaction in early adulthood.
“The findings highlight the importance of adolescent friendships for well-being later in life,” Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Virve Kekkonen, MD, says.
Life satisfaction is known to be associated with mental and social well-being. Earlier studies have found that mental health problems in particular gnaw on adolescents’ life satisfaction.
“In our study, however, a lack of adolescent friendships and feelings of loneliness were highlighted, perhaps even surprisingly much.”
Using a set of self-assessment questionnaires, the researchers collected data from 13–18-year-old adolescents on their social activeness, relationships, well-being, and mental health. Their life satisfaction was analysed after a follow-up period of five years. A total of 787 adolescents participated in the study.
Friends are a sounding board for an adolescent’s own identity, thoughts and physical changes.
VIrve Kekkonen
Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist, MD
Loneliness isn’t determined by the number of friends one has
Adolescents who spent time with their friends often were more likely to be satisfied with their lives in early adulthood. In the follow-up, lower life satisfaction was associated with spending less time with friends in boys, and with conflicts with peers and low participation in physical hobbies in girls. The association was also mediated by feelings of loneliness and, to some extent, also by symptoms of depression.
Kekkonen points out that the number of friends one has doesn’t determine loneliness, nor is it possible to say how much social interaction is enough.
“Spending time with friends at school and staying in touch with them on social media can be enough for some adolescents, while others may choose to spend time with friends on multiple occasions throughout the week in, e.g., hobbies.”
“Loneliness refers to one’s own experience of wanting social contacts, but not having them.”
According to Kekkonen, anyone can feel lonely at times. However, inactive social life isn’t necessarily a threat to an adolescent’s well-being, if they feel accepted and are confident about making new friends.
“Things get more difficult if, for example, an adolescent is bullied at school and they feel like they are somehow inadequate or of a wrong kind, which raises the threshold to seeking company.”
Forced social distancing and being separated from friends is very difficult for young people.
Friendships are important for adolescent development
Loneliness can cause depression in young people, and choosing to withdraw from the company of others can also be a sign of depression. Kekkonen points out that not all problems can be seen on the surface, and this is why it is important to foster dialogue at home.
“When asked, young people often are willing to talk about even delicate issues, such as loneliness, bullying or conflicts in friendships.”
Having a good relationship with one’s parents and siblings contributes to well-being, but these relationships can’t fully replace friendships, which are important for one’s development.
“Friends are a sounding board for an adolescent’s own identity, thoughts and physical changes. Friends are the context in which adolescents learn to become independent of their parents, and they also learn psychosocial skills that are needed later in life. If a young person misses out on all this, it is a cause of great concern.”
One of the conclusions of the study was that young people experiencing loneliness should be encouraged to spend time with others, for example, by participating in a hobby. According to Kekkonen, this is also what many parents do, within the limits of their means. Investing in the prevention of adolescent loneliness in social welfare and health care services could help to promote young people's well-being well into adulthood.
According to Kekkonen, the findings can also help to understand possible effects of the coronavirus pandemic on adolescent well-being both now and in the future.
“Forced social distancing and being separated from friends is very difficult for young people, and worries caused by the pandemic add to their burden. Due to the pandemic, many young people who have earlier been treated for mental health problems are now experiencing more symptoms, and the same is true also for young people who haven’t had any mental health issues before.”
