The Buffering Effect of Social Support in the Relation Between Loneliness and Life Satisfaction in Dutch MBO Students

Abstract

Loneliness appears to be most prevalent in the adolescent years because during this period adolescents undergo significant changes in their identity, relationships and social roles. Research shows that loneliness is negatively related to life satisfaction. Although the relation between loneliness and life satisfaction has been extensively researched, the buffering role of social support in this relationship remains largely unexamined. Previous research indicated that the extent to which adolescents believe people are there for them buffers the relation between loneliness and personal well-being. Social support might therefore act as a buffer against the negative effects of loneliness on life satisfaction. This paper will hence investigate the relationship between loneliness and life satisfaction, as well as the buffering role of support from family, friends, classmates, and teachers. This study used a longitudinal design and included 689 Dutch MBO students aged 16 to 29 years. The results showed that loneliness at Wave 1 negatively predicted life satisfaction 6 months later. Contradictory to the hypothesis, none of the four sources of support buffered the relation between loneliness and life satisfaction. Even more surprising, support from friends exacerbated the effect of loneliness on life satisfaction. In conclusion, the negative relation between loneliness and life satisfaction is stronger in adolescents with higher levels of friend support than in adolescents with lower levels of friend support and loneliness plays an important role in reducing life satisfaction in the transition towards adulthood.