Within- and Between-Person Loneliness and Self-Esteem During Emerging Adulthood: The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Emerging adulthood brings concerns about sense of self and belonging to the forefront, a period during which many young adults experience loneliness and mental health challenges. Self-esteem, or one’s evaluation of self-worth, may both predict and/or be predicted by loneliness, though longitudinal research is needed to disentangle the nature of these associations. Therefore, the link between loneliness and self-esteem was examined while considering the moderating role of emotion regulation difficulties. Participants ( N = 1,217, M age = 18.14, 71% female-identifying) completed a survey at three timepoints over one year. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel modelling indicated a bidirectional within-person association between increases in loneliness and decreases in self-esteem. Emotion regulation difficulties did not moderate the association, though it was associated with both loneliness and self-esteem. These findings suggest that during emerging adulthood, loneliness may hinder self-esteem which is likely to lead to further loneliness.