Thinking too much: How young people experience rumination in the context of loneliness

Abstract

The recent rise in the prevalence of loneliness, particularly among young adults, coupled with its deleterious effects on wellbeing, makes understanding the issue of pressing concern. As most research on loneliness has focused on older adults, this study explored how 48 young adults aged 18-24 subjectively experienced loneliness through free association-based interviews. Participants were sampled from the four most deprived boroughs in London, as area deprivation has been associated with a higher prevalence of loneliness. This facilitates understanding of contributors and consequences of loneliness within this demographic group.In particular, the focus is on rumination arising from loneliness; while the link between the two is well-established quantitively, research into rumination and the context of ruminative thoughts in the context of loneliness remains sparse. Thus, this study aimed to understand the subjective experience of rumination in young adults whilst they experienced loneliness. Thematic analysis of interviews using ATLAS.ti 9 revealed five themes capturing these experiences: 'temporal experience of rumination', 'ruminating life and death', 'rumination related to others', 'outcomes of rumination' and 'coping with loneliness-related rumination'.Based upon knowledge of the nature and content of rumination, further research could devise models of rumination

Combating loneliness: The role of neighbourhood ICT, environmental attractiveness, and a sense of belonging to a local community

“…Pittman and Reich (2016) showed that the image‐based use of social media is related to less loneliness, likely due to increased intimacy and social presence. However, it is noteworthy that any content, regardless of its form, can also incite unfavourable psychological mechanisms, such as comparing oneself negatively to others (Yang, 2016) or rumination related to others (Yun, Fardghassemi, & Joffe, 2022).…”

“…However, it is noteworthy that any content, regardless of its form, can also incite unfavourable psychological mechanisms, such as comparing oneself negatively to others (Yang, 2016) or rumination related to others (Yun, Fardghassemi, & Joffe, 2022).…”

Totally All Alone with My Thoughts: Development, Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Loneliness Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire

“…Recent qualitative research also yielded evidence pointing to the existence of loneliness-related rumination. 26 Our new measure of automatic thoughts about loneliness is described below. We wrote items that comprise the Loneliness Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire with the expectation that we were tapping one dimension comprised of extreme and intense automatic thoughts about loneliness.…”