Roles of Self‐Stigma and Meaning in the Relationship Between Age and Loneliness: A Perspective From Gerotranscendence

Abstract

Drawing on the theory of gerotranscendence, this research aimed to gain a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the age-loneliness relationship and underlying factors. Data from the BBC Loneliness Experiment (⁢𝑛 = 6875, 67.80% female, M_age = 49.26, Range_age 16–94) were analyzed using polynomial regression and Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling (MG-SEM) for the quantitative data, and complemented by Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for free-text data. The results showed: (1) there was a non-linear, inverted 𝑈-shaped relationship between age and loneliness, with an inflection point at 39.2 years of age; (2) in the older age group, loneliness self-stigma and the meaning of loneliness played parallel mediating roles between age and loneliness, whereas no mediating effect was observed in the younger age group; (3) these mediating effects primarily attenuated the loneliness frequency and loneliness intensity rather than loneliness duration; (4) two overarching topics of loneliness (i.e., <i>Limited Social Functions</i> and <i>Unsatisfactory Social Relationships</i>) were identified, with differences between the two age groups. This study further enriches the understanding of gerotranscendence in the loneliness domain and provides suggestions for tailoring precision interventions (i.e., self-stigma, meaning-making) to distinct life stages and specific loneliness dimensions.