Escaping loneliness in adolescence: The case for androgyny

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between sex-role orientation and loneliness in adolescence. Two hundred and twenty-five junior and senior high school students completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory Short Form (Bem, 1981) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell et al., 1978). Results indicated that androgynous individuals were significantly less lonely than masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated individuals. An assessment of the independent contributions of masculinity and femininity indicated that both masculinity and femininity significantly predicted loneliness. Additional analysis revealed that the impact of sex-role orientation on loneliness varied by sex and tended to be greater for males than females. The need to further examine the relationship between androgyny, sex-role development, and adjustment in adolescence is discussed.