Peculiar Features of Interpersonal Relationships and Experiences of Loneliness in Adolescence Depending on the Gender Factor

Abstract

The social isolation strategy adopted to prevent the spread of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic along with continuous traumatic stress foregrounded experiences of loneliness. The empirical data on pecular features of experience of loneliness in conditions of social norms helps to arrange psychological support in extreme situations in life activities. The hypothesis of this research, carried out in October 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, implies the existence of connection between interpersonal relationships, motives of affiliation and experience of loneliness in adolescence depending on the gender factor. The sample was based on secondary school students (n=60 people) aged 15—17 years (M = 16.6), 30 boys and 30 girls. Techniques: Differential Questionnaire of Loneliness, short version, E.N. Osin, D.A. Leontyev; Method of Subjective Assessment of Interpersonal Relationships, S.V. Dukhnovsky; Diagnostics of Affiliation Motives, A. Mehrabian, modified by M.Sh. Magomed-Eminov. No differences in the experience of loneliness depending on genderwere revealed in this sample. The girls' results revealed correlations of indicators oftension (r = 0.647; р ≤ 0.01); alienation (r = 0.705; р ≤ 0.01); aggression (r = 0.391; р ≤ 0.05); and general subjective assessment of interpersonal relationships(r = 0.611; р ≤ 0.01) with indicators of general level of loneliness. The boys' results identified correlations of indicators of tension (r = 0.426; р ≤ 0.05); proneness to conflict (r = 0.485; р ≤0.01); aggression (r = 0.404; р ≤ 0.05) and general subjective assessment of interpersonal relationships(r = 0.427; р ≤0.05) withdesire for isolation and its positive use; indicators of the affiliation motives (τ = 0.314; р ≤ 0.05) and dependence on communication to avoid loneliness. The obtained results determine the need to develop the characteristics of interpersonal communication to overcome negative consequences of experience of loneliness in conditions of social norms and in periods of extreme situations in human life activities.