Trapped and lost in transition - existential loneliness during adolescence described in retrospect by Swedish university students

Abstract

Experiences of loneliness are common during adolescence and previous research has shown these experiences to be related to physical and mental ill-being. However, there is limited knowledge of one kind of loneliness during adolescence–existential loneliness–which can challenge the possibilities of offering adequate support. Narrations of experiences in retrospect may lead to a deepened understanding of a phenomenon. Therefore, this study aims to describe the phenomenon of existential loneliness during adolescence through Swedish university students’ retrospective written narratives (n = 67). The study has a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, and the data were analysed inductively. The findings show that existential loneliness during adolescence means feeling empty and lost while painfully trapped in an alienating borderland in the search for belonging, sense of self, and meaning. This knowledge can be used as a basis for the development of interventions aiming at supporting adolescents’ well-being.