Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology
2025. Vol. 15, no. 2, 325–341
ISSN: 2658-3607 / 2658-6010 (online)
Experience of loneliness and coping strategies of adults*
Abstract
This article examines the relationship between experiences of loneliness and preferred coping strategies. It is suggested that they are related to the age of the respondents and their attitudes towards loneliness. The sample comprised 250 participants aged between 18 and 40 years (M = 24.3; SD = 7.3). The following methods and techniques were employed in the study: a questionnaire was utilized to ascertain demographic data and respondents’ attitudes towards loneliness; the Differential Questionnaire for the Experience of Loneliness (DOPO-3) (E.N. Osin, D.A. Leontiev) and the R. Lazarus coping test (translation and adaptation by T.L. Kryukova, E.V. Kuftyak, M.S. Zamyshlyaeva) were also employed. The data from open-ended questions was processed using content analysis, with additional analyses in the form of cluster, comparative and regression. The mathematical processing was performed on the basis of IBMSPSS 23.0 software. The study revealed that middle-aged adults reported higher levels of isolation, but fewer internal feelings of loneliness and a more nuanced view of it. The study of coping behaviour in adults with different attitudes to loneliness and its experience revealed that the identified types differ in the expression of loneliness characteristics and attitude to it, and the nature of links between loneliness parameters and coping strategies. Consequently, it can be hypothesised that adults’ utilisation of coping strategies is contingent on their attitude towards loneliness and the manner in which it is experienced, with the selection of strategies being made in accordance with the availability of resources and the particular demands of each situation.
General Information
* The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation project no. 23-28-00841 “Characteristics of experiencing loneliness and ways of coping with it in adulthood”; https://rscf .ru/en/project/23-28-00841
Keywords: loneliness, experience of loneliness, attitudes towards loneliness, social dependence, positive loneliness, coping strategies, adulthood period of adulthood
Journal rubric: Empirical and Experimental Research
Article type: scientific article
Published
For citation: Murtazina, I.R. (2025). Experience of loneliness and coping strategies of adults. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology, 15(2), 325–341. (In Russ.). URL: https://psyjournals.ru/en/journals/vspu_psychology/archive/2025_n2/Murtazina (viewed: 05.12.2025)
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