The Components of Loneliness of Teenage Girls Based on Their Lived Experiences

Goal: The goal of the present research is to determine the components of loneliness of teenage girls based on their lived experiences Method: the present research was a qualitative research and the phenomenological method was used to conduct it. The sampling was goal-oriented i.e. the UCLA loneliness questionnaires were completed by teenage girls whose average age was 16 of whom 30 people whose loneliness grades were above the cut-off point were selected as the research population. The main research tool was interviewing and the data were saturated after 15 interviews and coding using the grounded theory. Findings: The findings of the present research showed that the components of loneliness of teenage girls based on their lived experiences appear in the following order: 1- Loneliness in the family, 2. Communicative/social loneliness, 3. Emotional/personal loneliness. Considering the results of the interview and the thorough investigation into the loneliness experiences of teenage girls, it seemed that they mostly suffered from loneliness in the family like the feelings of being dismissed, ignored, blamed and also the feeling of mistrust of them on the part of their families. They deeply felt in their relationships and social environments that their needs for a companion and supporter were not met, and they suffered from finding no common grounds with others; also, they were unable to forge relationships with others and felt lonely despite being surrounded by people. Also, they experienced some emotions such as mistrust of others, hopelessness and surrender to loneliness and they were unable to express their feelings. Conclusion: Feeling lonely in the family constituted an important part of the loneliness of teenage girls after which the communicative/ social and emotional/ personal factors take precedence respectively. With regard to the fact that the present research has been conducted in the cultural context of Iran, it seems necessary to consider the above-mentioned components in the therapeutic interventions and educational programs to prevent or treat the loneliness of teenage girls.