Peer Relationships and Loneliness of Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the peer relationships and loneliness of adolescents during the COVID19 pandemic period. Methods: The research is a descriptive study and data were collected through a form created with the Google-Forms program. 204 adolescents from a high school in western Turkey participated in the study. The research data were collected online with the "Peer Relationship Scale", "Loneliness Scale" and the "Child Information Form" prepared by the researcher. Descriptive, comparative and correlational statistics were used in the analysis of the data. Results: 75.5% of the adolescents were girls, 54.4% were between the ages of 12-15, 83.8% stated that they used the internet regularly, 68.1% had internet at home and 78.9% stated that their internet use was not supervised by their parents during the COVID-19 epidemic. While the loneliness scale total scores of the adolescents participating in the study were 42.12±8.48, the peer relations scale total scores were 43.55±10.12. In the study, it is seen that adolescents' peer relationships have a negative and moderately significant effect on their loneliness. It shows that 24% of the variance of adolescents' loneliness is explained by their peer relationships (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed that the loneliness and peer relationships of the adolescents participating in the study during the COVID-19 epidemic were at a moderate level, and their loneliness was related to their peer relationships. Adolescents' good peer relationships can prevent them from feeling lonely. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the level of loneliness of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic process and to determine the changes in peer relationships. Therefore, qualitative and longitudinal studies can be planned. At the same time, adolescents should be provided with the psychological support they need.