Symposium
Organizer and Chair: Yenihayat, A.
Co-organizer: Catellani, P.
Loneliness is an urgent public issue across Europe, yet its causes and manifestations vary among individuals and contexts. In this symposium, we present research on the psychosocial factors related to loneliness and examine why the negative outcomes of loneliness affect some groups more than others. Using data from the EU Loneliness Survey (N = 25,646), the first contributor illustrates how face-to-face and digital communication are differently related to loneliness across European regions. The second presenter introduces the Multidimensional Loneliness Questionnaire (MLQ), a validated tool that distinguishes social, emotional, cultural, and existential forms of loneliness across countries. The next presenter discusses the results of a mobile app intervention, showing how positive communication about loneliness can promote well-being and social connectedness in young adults. The fourth presenter contributes longitudinal evidence linking personality traits and social networks to loneliness. The final presenter discusses the theoretical and empirical foundations of loneliness inequalities, highlighting how they need to be understood and approached to effectively reduce loneliness in marginalized groups. Together, these contributions demonstrate how sociodemographics, psychosocial, and communicative factors jointly shape loneliness and its effects, providing insights into the design of public policies and interventions.