Scholarlink

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic had a widespread impact on time spent alone, and there may be age-related differences in the extent to which solitude was experienced as a resource. The purpose of this study was to explore how attitudes and experiences related to solitude were impacted by the pandemic and whether this varied across the lifespan. Four samples of adults participated, including 105 college students (ages 18- 22), 40 non-college emerging adults (ages 18–22), 81 established adults (ages 30–44), and 377 older adults (ages 66–99). Participants provided written responses to a prompt asking whether their attitudes or experiences of being alone had changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analyses of the narrative responses identified 11 themes which were conceptually organized by valence (i.e., positive, negative, mixed, or neutral). Chi-square analyses revealed differences in the valence of responses across age groups, including a greater proportion of positive experiences of solitude during the pandemic among college students and older adults compared to non-college emerging adults and established adults. The two emerging adult samples were markedly different in their ability to use solitude as a resource during Covid-19, with the college students proportionally more than twice as likely as their peers to report increases in their appreciation of solitude and capacity to be alone, and the non-college sample more than twice as likely to report feeling isolated. Descriptive profiles of each age group are provided, and developmental and relational implications are discussed.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Age-Related Variations in Using Solitude as a Resource During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月29日

查看全文
  • Virginia Thomas,
  • Maeve Callahan,
  • Jennifer L. Smith,
  • Margarita Azmitia

摘要

The COVID-19 pandemic had a widespread impact on time spent alone, and there may be age-related differences in the extent to which solitude was experienced as a resource. The purpose of this study was to explore how attitudes and experiences related to solitude were impacted by the pandemic and whether this varied across the lifespan. Four samples of adults participated, including 105 college students (ages 18- 22), 40 non-college emerging adults (ages 18–22), 81 established adults (ages 30–44), and 377 older adults (ages 66–99). Participants provided written responses to a prompt asking whether their attitudes or experiences of being alone had changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analyses of the narrative responses identified 11 themes which were conceptually organized by valence (i.e., positive, negative, mixed, or neutral). Chi-square analyses revealed differences in the valence of responses across age groups, including a greater proportion of positive experiences of solitude during the pandemic among college students and older adults compared to non-college emerging adults and established adults. The two emerging adult samples were markedly different in their ability to use solitude as a resource during Covid-19, with the college students proportionally more than twice as likely as their peers to report increases in their appreciation of solitude and capacity to be alone, and the non-college sample more than twice as likely to report feeling isolated. Descriptive profiles of each age group are provided, and developmental and relational implications are discussed.