Stability and Change of Social and Emotional Loneliness Across the Life Span: Evidence From Two Large-Scale Longitudinal Studies

Loneliness is a multidimensional experience comprising social and emotional facets. While previous research shows that loneliness exhibits both stable and dynamic patterns across the life span, little is known about how these trajectories unfold at the facet-level. The present study investigates stability and change in social and emotional loneliness across the adult life span using two longitudinal, nationally representative datasets from the Netherlands (N = 16,732, Mage = 43.79 years, age range = 16-100 years) and Germany (N = 12,167, Mage = 63.05 years, age range = 40-97 years). We applied local structural equation modeling with second-order latent growth curve models to examine rank-order stability and mean-level change across adulthood. Measurement invariance tests supported the psychometric comparability of social and emotional loneliness items across age groups and time points. Overall, results indicated relatively high rank-order stability and little mean-level change of both facets, with nuanced, largely non-significant age-related patterns. Specifically, rank-order stability of both facets tended to increase in young adulthood and remained stable thereafter, while mean levels were highest in young adulthood and decreased thereafter, with a secondary rise in social loneliness during midlife. Beyond these general patterns, nuanced differences between both facets emerged: social loneliness showed higher baseline levels, greater mean-level change, and somewhat lower rank-order stability—suggesting higher intraindividual variability. These findings highlight young adulthood as a sensitive period for loneliness interventions and underscore the value of distinguishing between social and emotional loneliness to capture the nuanced developmental dynamics of loneliness across the adult life span.