The present study examined patterns of stability and change in loneliness across adolescence. Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a UK population-representative cohort of 2,232 individuals born in 1994 and 1995. Loneliness was assessed when participants were aged 12 and 18. Loneliness showed modest stability across these ages (r = .25). Behavioral genetic modeling indicated that stability in loneliness was explained largely by genetic influences (66%), while change was explained by nonshared environmental effects (58%). Individuals who reported loneliness at both ages were broadly similar to individuals who only reported it at age 18, with both groups at elevated risk of mental health problems, physical health risk behaviors, and education and employment difficulties. Individuals who were lonely only at age 12 generally fared better; however, they were still more likely to finish school with lower qualifications. Positive family influences in childhood predicted reduced risk of loneliness at age 12, while negative peer experiences increased the risk. Together, the findings show that while early adolescent loneliness does not appear to exert a cumulative burden when it persists, it is nonetheless a risk for a range of concomitant impairments, some of which can endure.

本研究调查了整个青春期孤独感的稳定性和变化模式。数据来自环境风险 (E-Risk) 纵向双胞胎研究，这是一项具有英国人口代表性的队列，包括 1994 年和 1995 年出生的 2,232 人。当参与者年龄为 12 岁和 18 岁时，他们对孤独感进行了评估。孤独感在这些年龄段表现出适度的稳定性 ( r= .25）。行为遗传模型表明，孤独的稳定性主要由遗传影响 (66%) 解释，而变化则由非共享环境影响 (58%) 解释。在这两个年龄段报告孤独感的人与仅在 18 岁时报告孤独感的人大体相似，这两个群体都有更高的心理健康问题、身体健康风险行为以及教育和就业困难的风险。仅在 12 岁时感到孤独的人通常过得更好；然而，他们仍然更有可能以较低的学历完成学业。童年时期积极的家庭影响预示着 12 岁时孤独的风险会降低，而消极的同伴经历会增加这种风险。一起，