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The Impact of Specific Types of Trauma Exposure and Tolerance of Ambiguity on Loneliness Among Emerging Adults
Ryder, Annie Louise
Ryder, Annie Louise
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Abstract
Loneliness is the aversive experience of perceiving one’s social relationships to be inadequate. While intermittent loneliness is common across the lifespan, persistent loneliness can be related to negative mental health outcomes. Trauma is a known correlate of loneliness, though less is known about the links between specific types of trauma exposures and loneliness. Further, the factors that may impact the influence of trauma on loneliness are not known. One such factor that may impact the link between trauma and loneliness is tolerance of ambiguity (TA), or the way an individual perceives and processes ambiguous situations. The current study sought to investigate links between exposure to specific types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and loneliness by examining the role of TA. The sample was comprised of 498 emerging adults attending a university in the Midwestern United States (M = 18.95, SD = 1.22, 49.4% male). Results from cross-sectional multiple regression analyses demonstrated that interpersonal violence and sexual victimization were both uniquely associated with high levels of loneliness, while exposure to non-interpersonal PTEs (other than war) was associated with low levels of loneliness. No moderating effects of TA in links between PTEs and loneliness were evident. These results suggest differential impacts of specific types of PTEs on loneliness. More research is required for understanding the factors that may influence the link between PTEs and loneliness.
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Date
2023-05-31
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Clinical psychology, Emerging Adults, Loneliness, Potentially Traumatic Events, Tolerance of Ambiguity, Trauma