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Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Matthews, T; Odgers, CL; Danese, A; Fisher, HL; Newbury, JB; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L
Published in: Psychological science
May 2019

In this study, we investigated associations between the characteristics of the neighborhoods in which young adults live and their feelings of loneliness, using data from different sources. Participants were drawn from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study. Loneliness was measured via self-reports at ages 12 and 18 years and also by interviewer ratings at age 18. Neighborhood characteristics were assessed between the ages of 12 and 18 via government data, systematic social observations, a resident survey, and participants' self-reports. Greater loneliness was associated with perceptions of lower collective efficacy and greater neighborhood disorder but not with more objective measures of neighborhood characteristics. Lonelier individuals perceived the collective efficacy of their neighborhoods to be lower than did their less lonely siblings who lived at the same address. These findings suggest that feelings of loneliness are associated with negatively biased perceptions of neighborhood characteristics, which may have implications for lonely individuals' likelihood of escaping loneliness.

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Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

May 2019

Volume

30

Issue

5

Start / End Page

765 / 775

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Social Isolation
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Self Report
  • Self Efficacy
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Perception
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Loneliness
 

Citation

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Matthews, T., Odgers, C. L., Danese, A., Fisher, H. L., Newbury, J. B., Caspi, A., … Arseneault, L. (2019). Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults. Psychological Science, 30(5), 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619836102
Matthews, Timothy, Candice L. Odgers, Andrea Danese, Helen L. Fisher, Joanne B. Newbury, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E. Moffitt, and Louise Arseneault. “Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults.Psychological Science 30, no. 5 (May 2019): 765–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619836102.
Matthews T, Odgers CL, Danese A, Fisher HL, Newbury JB, Caspi A, et al. Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults. Psychological science. 2019 May;30(5):765–75.
Matthews, Timothy, et al. “Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults.Psychological Science, vol. 30, no. 5, May 2019, pp. 765–75. Epmc, doi:10.1177/0956797619836102.
Matthews T, Odgers CL, Danese A, Fisher HL, Newbury JB, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Arseneault L. Loneliness and Neighborhood Characteristics: A Multi-Informant, Nationally Representative Study of Young Adults. Psychological science. 2019 May;30(5):765–775.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

May 2019

Volume

30

Issue

5

Start / End Page

765 / 775

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Social Isolation
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Self Report
  • Self Efficacy
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Perception
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Loneliness