Youth &Society, Ahead of Print.
This article examines young people’s experiences of loneliness in the peer support discussion forum YouthNet (YN). The study aimed to shed understanding of loneliness as a shared experience. The data consists of 869 loneliness-related messages from 2010 to 2023. Data was analyzed with dual inductive-deductive thematic analysis and content analysis, in which themes emerging from the data were first identified, along with forms of loneliness drawn from previous research. After thematization, the data analysis was further deepened through content analysis. Eight distinct concepts of loneliness were identified: loneliness stemming from bullying and violence, emotional loneliness, loneliness associated with accumulated problems, social loneliness, ostracism-induced loneliness, loneliness arising from deviation from the norm, existential loneliness, and loneliness linked to the family environment. According to the study, to tackle adolescents’ loneliness, it is strongly recommended that services aimed at young enhance their proficiency and methodologies in identifying and aiding adolescents experiencing loneliness.