ArticleInternational journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being2022
Deeply lonely in the borderland between childhood and adulthood - Experiences of existential loneliness as narrated by adolescents.
Article in International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Serial mediation pathways linking attachment security to loneliness: the role of self-disclosure quality and perceived social support among college students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Psychometric validation, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the Arabic brief existential loneliness scale.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exploring child and youth understanding of loneliness through qualitative insights and evaluating loneliness measures considering those lived experiences.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- Factorial structure, validity, and gender invariance of the UCLA-R loneliness scale in ecuadorian adolescents.PloS one · 2025Article
- "I need to get back to a normal life": using the core DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview to explore existential themes shared by adolescents in specialized mental healthcare in Norway.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Approaching Suffering in Young University Students, New Challenge for a Compassionate University: A Qualitative Study of Undergraduate Nursing Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- "It's a feeling of complete disconnection": experiences of existential loneliness from youth to older adulthood.BMC psychology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdolescence is associated with different feelings and experiences that can negatively affect adolescents' health and well-being. In the transition between childhood and adulthood, experiences of loneliness are common. A deep form of loneliness is described as existential loneliness. Studies among adults have shown that existential loneliness often arises in connection with transitions and is related to suffering, but may lead to positive experiences when acknowledged and addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore adolescents' experiences of existential loneliness.
methodsThis was an exploratory-descriptive qualitative study based on narrative interviews with 16 adolescents (median age 17.5). The data were analysed inductively using qualitative content analysis.
findingsExistential loneliness among adolescents was related to experiences of social exclusion and "in-betweenness". To alleviate their suffering, the adolescents tried to avoid burdensome feelings and thoughts, and they chose between sharing or not sharing their inner lives with someone else.
conclusionsIt is important to support adolescents' sense of belonging, and they may need assistance in dealing with existential loneliness, as well as with finding constructive and healthy ways of recuperating from the suffering. Professionals need knowledge of existential loneliness to promote adolescents' existential health and well-being.
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