The associations of loneliness among care-leavers with personal background, psychological distress, life satisfaction and functioning in young adulthood

At-risk children living in out-of-home placement are an excluded population experiencing many difficulties. Research points out that even after they age out of care, they face significant social, emotional and health difficulties.

The transition towards independence among care leavers takes place in a developmentally distinct period - emerging adulthood. In this developmental period, youths in western societies are gradually entering into independent life, while leaning on their parents and other social supports available to them. In contrast, care-leavers who lack these supports, are required to transition to adulthood shortly after leaving care in a steep and short process, with little outside help.

Due to their familial background that led to out-of-home placement, their unique characteristics and the developmental stage they are in, care-leavers may be particularly vulnerable to loneliness. Loneliness is a negative stressful feeling, associated with many outcomes including: Low life satisfaction, depression and anxiety, and poor health.

The present study focuses on loneliness among care-leavers. It examines loneliness and its relationships with demographic background (e.g. gender, immigration background), placement characteristics (e.g., type of placement, age entering care , length of stay and stability in care), and negative life events in the past (such as: whether a family member was depressed or mentally ill and whether the child was a victim of physical assault). Further, the study examines the associations between loneliness and the current  status of the young person, of adaptation to main-occupation (e.g., work, military service), life satisfaction, and psychological distress. Finally, the study examines the role of loneliness as a mediator or moderator variable in the relationships between demographic background, placement characteristics and negative life events as independent variables, and adaptation to main-occupation, life satisfaction and psychological distress.

Study hypotheses are: 1. Demographic background characteristics, placement characteristics and negative life events will be associated with loneliness. 2. Loneliness will be negatively correlated with adaptation to main-occupation and life satisfaction and positively correlated with psychological distress. 3. Loneliness will be found  as a mediator variable between negative life events as an independent variable and adaptation to main-occupation, life satisfaction and psychological distress as dependent variables. 4. Loneliness will be found as a moderating factor between negative life events as an independent variable and adaptation to main-occupation, life satisfaction and psychological distress as dependent variables. As a stronger sense of loneliness, the association  between negative life events and the dependent variables will be stronger.

The sample consists of care leavers who receive services from a nonprofit organization that focuses on care leavers with no family support. The sample size is 121 participants ages 18-26%, 78% of them live in shared apartments provided by the NGO. Of the participants, 100 completed a questionnaire (98% response rate) and 21 were phone interviewed (44% response rate).

The participants completed a series of structured questionnaires: Demographic background, placement characteristics, Negative Life Events in Childhood, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Adaptation to Main-Occupation, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, and Student's Life Satisfaction Scale.

The descriptive findings show that youths in the sample had experienced many and severe negative life events. They also presented difficulties in adapting to their main occupation, from both functional and social aspects. In addition, participants reported high levels of psychological distress, and relatively low life satisfaction, compared with youth with similar background in other studies. Nevertheless, the reported levels of loneliness were similar to other young persons their age who are in a similar transition stage, and are not care leavers (e.g., freshmen in college).

Among the factors that predict loneliness were the age of entry into care and length of placement (late entry to care and short duration predict higher loneliness), and negative life events in childhood (more events are associated with higher levels of loneliness). Loneliness was associated with the dependent variables. High levels of loneliness are associated with low levels of adaptation to main occupation, lower life satisfaction, and higher psychological distress. Loneliness partially (and significantly) mediated between negative life events in childhood and current psychological distress. Loneliness was not a mediator of the other dependent variables – adaptation and life satisfaction. The moderation hypothesis was not substantiated: Loneliness did not moderate the relationships between life events and the dependent variables.

In summary, loneliness was significantly associated with negative life events in childhood and adolescence and with the current state of the young person – adjustment, life satisfaction and psychological distress. Hence, although loneliness levels reported by care leavers in this study are not particularly high, it  seems to reflect the unique background of care leavers and  is relevant to understanding their current situation and everyday experiences.

These findings are consistent with the literature about loneliness, as one of the main factors predicting distress and difficulties. The literature recognizes a distinction between social and emotional loneliness, a distinction that has not been made in this study. This distinction may help explain the contrast between average levels of measured social loneliness and strong association with current situation. Perhaps being surrounded by social networks during the placement period and by an after-care program today act as a protective factor against high levels of social loneliness. Nevertheless, these young persons may still experience high levels of emotional loneliness.

Future studies are needed to help refine the understanding of care-leaver's experience of loneliness, by identifying different dimensions of loneliness and tracking the components most relevant to this population. Using additional background variables in future studies may also help to identify additional models and expand our understanding about the role of loneliness, in the complex relationships between background variables and the situation of young persons during the first years after leaving care.