A longitudinal study of adolescent loneliness and memory performance in young adulthood

초록

Despite extensive research linking adolescent loneliness to psychological well-being, little is known about its long-term cognitive correlates. In particular, few studies have examined whether it has lasting effects on adult memory performance or the underlying mechanisms. This study aims to determine whether adolescent loneliness is associated with memory performance in young adulthood. To elucidate the potential mechanisms, it adopts a life course framework, testing critical period and pathway models, and evaluates mediators across educational, behavioral, and psychosocial domains. The study draws on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative U.S. cohort of 3091 individuals aged 12 to 21 at baseline. Sibling fixed-effects models were employed to account for unobserved family-level heterogeneity. Indirect pathways were examined via parametric mediation analyses grounded in the counterfactual framework. Loneliness in adolescence was negatively associated with both verbal and working memory in young adulthood. Mediation analysis further revealed that none of the educational, behavioral, or psychosocial mechanisms significantly mediated these associations. This pattern indicates that the association is not explained by the specific pathways tested, but it does not establish that the association operates through direct mechanisms. The association with working memory is significant only for men, while the association with verbal memory persisted across genders. These findings are consistent with a critical period interpretation, as the tested pathways did not explain the association-though this does not rule out other mechanisms. The results underscore the potential value of early social support in reducing cognitive risks associated with adolescent loneliness.

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