{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T00:08:49Z","timestamp":1772150929132,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":77,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]],"date-time":"2021-05-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1621814400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Young adults (16\u201324 years old) are currently the loneliest group in Western countries. In particular, young adults of lower socio-economic status (SES) living in the most deprived areas are loneliest in the United Kingdom. This mixed-methods study explored the experience of loneliness among this under-explored demographic in London. Using a novel free association technique, the experience of loneliness was found to be characterized by: a sense of isolation, negative emotions and thoughts, coping and a positive orientation to aloneness. An exploration of these themes revealed that: one can feel isolated or excluded even when surrounded by people; the experience of loneliness is accompanied by a set of interrelated feelings and thoughts like rumination; and technological and\/or non-technological outlets can be used to cope. Social media play both a positive and negative role in loneliness, and loneliness is not always experienced negatively. The quantitative data indicated that this sample was lonely. By providing insight into young adults\u2019 loneliness, the findings indicate what types of interventions are likely to diminish it.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.660791","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]],"date-time":"2021-05-24T16:16:16Z","timestamp":1621872976000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":28,"title":["Young Adults\u2019 Experience of Loneliness in London\u2019s Most Deprived Areas"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Sam","family":"Fardghassemi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Helene","family":"Joffe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders","year":"1987"},{"key":"ref2","author":"Auxier","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110066","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2020.110066","article-title":"Loneliness around the world: age, gender, and cultural differences in loneliness","volume":"169","author":"Barreto","year":"2021","journal-title":"Personal. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref4","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/14780887.2020.1769238","article-title":"One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?","author":"Braun","year":"2020","journal-title":"Qual. Res. Psychol."},{"key":"ref6","first-page":"395","article-title":"Gender and emotion in context","volume-title":"Handbook of Emotions","author":"Brody","year":"2008"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2014.02.013","article-title":"Differences in social anxiety between men and women across 18 countries","volume":"64","author":"Caballo","year":"2014","journal-title":"Personal. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref8","first-page":"127","article-title":"Loneliness in the modern age: an evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL)","volume-title":"Advances in Experimental Social Psychology","author":"Cacioppo","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref9","first-page":"227","article-title":"Loneliness","volume-title":"Handbook of Individual Differences in Social Behavior","author":"Cacioppo","year":"2009"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.1097\/00006842-200205000-00005","article-title":"Loneliness and health: potential mechanisms","volume":"64","author":"Cacioppo","year":"2002","journal-title":"Psychosom. Med."},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1054","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jrp.2005.11.007","article-title":"Loneliness within a nomological net: an evolutionary perspective","volume":"40","author":"Cacioppo","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Res. Pers."},{"key":"ref12","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref13","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref14","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref15","author":"Cramer","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref16","volume-title":"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience","author":"Csikszentmihalyi","year":"1990"},{"key":"ref17","author":"Csikszentmihalyi","year":"1996"},{"key":"ref18","volume-title":"Flow. The Psychology of Happiness","author":"Csikszentmihalyi","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"579","DOI":"10.1177\/1948550612469233","article-title":"Does posting Facebook status updates increase or decrease loneliness? An online social networking experiment","volume":"4","author":"Deters","year":"2013","journal-title":"Soc. Psychol. Personal. Sci."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1111\/1467-9280.00415","article-title":"Very happy people","volume":"13","author":"Diener","year":"2002","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref21","volume-title":"Loneliness and Social Isolation in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan: An international Survey","author":"DiJulio","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"725","DOI":"10.1177\/0164027505279712","article-title":"Changes in older adult loneliness: results from a seven-year longitudinal study","volume":"27","author":"Dykstra","year":"2005","journal-title":"Res. Aging"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"947","DOI":"10.1037\/a0027930","article-title":"Gender differences in self-conscious emotional experience: A meta-analysis","volume":"138","author":"Else-Quest","year":"2012","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1118","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-020-09208-0","article-title":"Age differences in demographic, social and health-related factors associated with loneliness across the adult life span (19\u201365 years): a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands","volume":"20","author":"Franssen","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref25","first-page":"79","article-title":"Solitude in children and adolescents: a review of the research literature","volume":"50","author":"Galanaki","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychol. Educ. Interdis. J."},{"key":"ref26","first-page":"150","article-title":"Affinity for aloneness in adolescence and preference for solitude in childhood: linking two research traditions","volume-title":"The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone","author":"Goossens","year":"2014"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"230","DOI":"10.1111\/cdep.12291","article-title":"Loneliness in adolescence: insights from Cacioppo\u2019s evolutionary model","volume":"12","author":"Goossens","year":"2018","journal-title":"Child Dev. Perspect."},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S258","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/59.5.S258","article-title":"Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults\u2019 psychological well-being","volume":"59","author":"Greenfield","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Gerontol. Ser. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci."},{"key":"ref29","volume-title":"The Lonely Society?","author":"Griffin","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"751","DOI":"10.1521\/jscp.2018.37.10.751","article-title":"No more FOMO: limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression","volume":"37","author":"Hunt","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Soc. Clin. Psychol."},{"key":"ref31","author":"Husserl","year":""},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203120330","volume-title":"Ideas: General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology","author":"Husserl","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1089","DOI":"10.1007\/s00127-018-1597-8","article-title":"Quality not quantity: loneliness subtypes, psychological trauma, and mental health in the US adult population","volume":"54","author":"Hyland","year":"2019","journal-title":"Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref34","year":"2017"},{"key":"ref35","volume-title":"Mental Health: Future Challenges","author":"Jenkins","year":"2008"},{"key":"ref36","first-page":"210","article-title":"Thematic analysis","volume-title":"Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health and Psychotherapy: A Guide for Students and Practitioners","author":"Joffe","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1037\/gpr0000014","article-title":"Free association in psychology and the grid elaboration method","volume":"18","author":"Joffe","year":"2014","journal-title":"Rev. Gen. Psychol."},{"key":"ref38","article-title":"Content and thematic analysis","volume-title":"Research Methods for Clinical and Health Psychology","author":"Joffe","year":"2004"},{"key":"ref39","first-page":"351","article-title":"The restorative qualities of being alone with nature","volume-title":"The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone","author":"Korpela","year":"2014"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.2307\/2529310","article-title":"The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data","volume":"33","author":"Landis","year":"1977","journal-title":"Biometrics"},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1016\/0273-2297(90)90008-R","article-title":"The solitary side of life: an examination of the time people spend alone from childhood to old age","volume":"10","author":"Larson","year":"1990","journal-title":"Dev. Rev."},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.2307\/1131927","article-title":"The emergence of solitude as a constructive domain of experience in early adolescence","volume":"68","author":"Larson","year":"1997","journal-title":"Child Dev."},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.2466\/07.PR0.112.2.545-552","article-title":"Affinity seeking, social loneliness and social avoidance among Facebook users","volume":"112","author":"Lemieux","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychol. Rep. Phys. Ment. Health"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1093\/jcmc\/zmz013","article-title":"Digital communication media use and psychological well-being: a meta-analysis","volume":"24","author":"Liu","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Comput.-Mediat. Commun."},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"642","DOI":"10.1002\/per.2220","article-title":"Gender differences in loneliness across the lifespan: a meta\u2013analysis","volume":"33","author":"Maes","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur. J. Personal."},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"268","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291718000788","article-title":"Lonely young adults in modern Britain: findings from an epidemiological cohort study","volume":"49","author":"Matthews","year":"2019","journal-title":"Psychol. Med."},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"496","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2009.05.003","article-title":"Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety","volume":"29","author":"McLean","year":"2009","journal-title":"Clin. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1177\/0265407513494951","article-title":"Predicting stability and change in loneliness in later life","volume":"31","author":"Newall","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Soc. Pers. Relat."},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/1609406919899220","article-title":"Intercoder reliability in qualitative research: debates and practical guidelines","volume":"19","author":"O\u2019Connor","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Qual. Methods"},{"key":"ref50","volume-title":"Measuring National Well-Being: Insights into Loneliness, Older People and Wellbeing, 2015","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref51","volume-title":"Loneliness-What Characteristics and Circumstances are Associated With Feeling Lonely? 2018","year":""},{"key":"ref52","volume-title":"Children\u2019s and Young People\u2019s Experiences of Loneliness: 2018","year":""},{"key":"ref53","volume-title":"Mapping Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic: 2021","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2015.01.009","article-title":"Computerised therapies for anxiety and depression in children and young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"67","author":"Pennant","year":"2015","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1037\/0278-6133.24.3.297","article-title":"Loneliness, social network size, and immune response to influenza vaccination in college freshmen","volume":"24","author":"Pressman","year":"2005","journal-title":"Health Psychol."},{"key":"ref57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1283","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adolescence.2013.01.005","article-title":"Trajectories of loneliness during childhood and adolescence: predictors and health outcomes","volume":"36","author":"Qualter","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Adolesc."},{"key":"ref58","volume-title":"The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens","author":"Rideout","year":"2019"},{"key":"ref59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2501","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2013.06.006","article-title":"The media and technology usage and attitudes scale: An empirical investigation","volume":"29","author":"Rosen","year":"2013","journal-title":"Comput. Hum. Behav."},{"key":"ref60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"472","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.39.3.472","article-title":"The revised UCLA loneliness scale: concurrent and discriminant validity evidence","volume":"39","author":"Russell","year":"1980","journal-title":"J. Pers. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"ref61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1037\/110003-066X.55.1.68","article-title":"Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being","volume":"55","author":"Ryan","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am. Psychol."},{"key":"ref62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1089\/109493104322820093","article-title":"Coping with loneliness: adolescent online and offline behavior","volume":"7","author":"Seepersad","year":"2004","journal-title":"Cyberpsychol. Behav."},{"key":"ref63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1089\/109493102753770552","article-title":"In defense of the internet: The relationship between internet communication and depression, loneliness, self-esteem, and perceived social support","volume":"5","author":"Shaw","year":"2002","journal-title":"Cyberpsychol. Behav."},{"key":"ref64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2414","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2012.07.012","article-title":"The effects of personality traits, self-esteem, loneliness, and narcissism on Facebook use among university students","volume":"28","author":"Skues","year":"2012","journal-title":"Comput. Hum. Behav."},{"key":"ref65","volume-title":"Social Media Use in 2018","author":"Smith","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref66","volume-title":"Solitude: A Return to the Self","author":"Storr","year":"1988"},{"key":"ref67","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1892","DOI":"10.1177\/0265407519836170","article-title":"Less in-person social interaction with peers among US adolescents in the 21st century and links to loneliness","volume":"36","author":"Twenge","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Soc. Pers. Relat."},{"key":"ref68","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1169","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1083-6101.2007.00368.x","article-title":"Online communication and adolescent well-being: testing the stimulation versus the displacement hypothesis","volume":"12","author":"Valkenburg","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Comput.-Mediat. Commun."},{"key":"ref69","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1305","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adolescence.2012.04.002","article-title":"The development of loneliness from mid-to late adolescence: trajectory classes, personality traits, and psychosocial functioning","volume":"36","author":"Vanhalst","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Adolesc."},{"key":"ref70","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"810","DOI":"10.1521\/jscp.2012.31.8.810","article-title":"Disentangling the longitudinal relation between loneliness and depressive symptoms: prospective effects and the intervening role of coping","volume":"31","author":"Vanhalst","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Soc. Clin. Psychol."},{"key":"ref71","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mhp.2018.11.002","article-title":"Coping with loneliness at university: A qualitative interview study with students in the UK","volume":"13","author":"Vasileiou","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ment. Health Prevention"},{"key":"ref72","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1919","DOI":"10.1037\/dev0001102","article-title":"The development of loneliness through adolescence and young adulthood: its nature, correlates, and midlife outcomes","volume":"56","author":"Von Soest","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref73","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adolescence.2018.05.008","article-title":"Active public Facebook use and adolescents\u2019 feelings of loneliness: evidence for a curvilinear relationship","volume":"67","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Adolesc."},{"key":"ref74","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"602","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-0167.52.4.602","article-title":"Adult attachment, social self-efficacy, self-disclosure, loneliness, and subsequent depression for freshman college students: A longitudinal study","volume":"52","author":"Wei","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Couns. Psychol."},{"key":"ref75","volume-title":"Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation","author":"Weiss","year":"1973"},{"key":"ref76","first-page":"559","article-title":"Rural adolescent loneliness and coping strategies","volume":"23","author":"Woodward","year":"1988","journal-title":"Adolescence"},{"key":"ref77","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.5539\/hes.v9n2p10","article-title":"Social media and loneliness--forever connected?","volume":"9","author":"Yavich","year":"2019","journal-title":"High. Educ. Stud."},{"key":"ref78","year":"2019"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.660791\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]],"date-time":"2021-05-24T16:16:28Z","timestamp":1621872988000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.660791\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]]},"references-count":77,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.660791"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.660791","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,24]]},"article-number":"660791"}}