Abstract
Research examining the link between solitude and psychosocial adjustment among adolescents has lacked a comprehensive, person-centered examination of differential patterns of both solitude and sociability. The current study surveyed 1071 adolescents (Mage = 12.48, SD = 1.71, 49.86% female, age range = 10–16 years). Using latent-profile analysis, four groups were identified with differential patterns of characteristics of solitude (i.e., enjoyment, motivations, preference, frequency) and sociability. Results indicated that worse psychosocial adjustment across time points was associated with membership in the PFS-NonSociable group (characterized by high enjoyment, preference, and frequency of solitude; low sociability) compared to all other groups. Findings suggest that solitude for adolescents appears to be linked to worse psychosocial adjustment only if accompanied by a lack of sociability.
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M.E.B. took the lead role in the interpretation and drafting of the manuscript. M.E.B. and T.W. conceived of the study, participated in performing the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript. M.E.B. and T.W. read and approved the final manuscript.
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Borg, M.E., Willoughby, T. When is Solitude Maladaptive for Adolescents? A Comprehensive Study of Sociability and Characteristics of Solitude. J. Youth Adolescence 52, 2647–2660 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01856-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01856-w