Motivations for Solitude in Adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

Understanding motivations for seeking solitude is imperative in order to better understand individuals with an affinity for solitude (AFS; i.e., an enjoyment of solitude, but not necessarily a preference for spending time alone over being with others). Research on AFS is limited and often has not controlled for anxious motivations for solitude such as social anxiety (SA; although see Daly & Willoughby, 2020). Self-determination theory posits that solitude is likely to be associated with positive adjustment if solitude is self-determined and intrinsically motivated (seeking out solitude for enjoyment) compared to when motivation is not self-determined (seeking out solitude to avoid others) or extrinsically motivated (e.g., by parents; Deci & Ryan, 2008a,b). A recent study by Thomas & Azmitia (2019) found support for this suggestion among late adolescents and early adults. The current study sought to assess non-socially-anxious AFS among adolescents, and to examine their motivations for solitude. Three research questions were examined: (1) Are there distinct groups of adolescents who vary in AFS and SA? (2) Do these groups differ in their motivations for time spent in solitude? (3) Do these groups differ in psychosocial adjustment? Participants were 989 adolescents (MAge = 12.46, 10-16 years, 50% female) who were surveyed on the frequency and motivations for spending time alone, as well as on measures of AFS, SA, peer victimization, friendship quality, depression, and self-esteem. A factor analysis of the motivations for solitude supported Thomas & Azmitia’s (2019) findings and revealed three factors: self-determined solitude (SDS; e.g., “It makes me feel good”) intrinsic not-self-determined solitude (INSDS; e.g., “I get nervous spending time with others”), and extrinsic not-self-determined solitude (ENSDS; “I get in trouble, e.g., sent to my room”) - see Table 1. Frequency scores for each motivation within a factor were averaged and combined into a composite. A latent-class analysis conducted on the AFS and SA questions revealed four distinct classes: AFS (highAFS/lowmodSA), Low (lowAFS/lowSA), Moderate (lowmodAFS/modSA), and High (modhighAFS/highSA) – see Figure 1. The AFS and High groups reported a significantly higher frequency of spending time alone than the Moderate and Low groups (with the Moderate also higher than the Low group). The AFS group had a higher frequency of engaging in solitude for SDS motivations than the Low and Moderate groups but did not differ from the High group. The AFS group, however, had a lower frequency of engaging in solitude for INSDS motivations than the High group (but higher than the Low group), and a higher frequency of ENSDS compared to the Moderate group. Finally, the AFS and Low groups showed similar scores on psychosocial adjustment. Notably, the AFS group was lower in peer victimization and depression, and higher in friendship quality and self-esteem, compared to the High group. This study is the first to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for solitude with adolescents, and results support the suggestion that social anxiety may be a more prominent indicator of negative psychosocial functioning than spending time in solitude. Solitude appears to be constructive when motivated by positive factors.

Authors

• Meghan E. Borg, Brock University
  Presenting Author

• Teena Willoughby, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author