Mindreading, peer relations, and loneliness in preadolescent girls and boys.

The approach to adolescence involves increases in mindreading or Theory of Mind (ToM), and feelings of loneliness; with studies showing girls often report higher levels of loneliness than boys. This short-term longitudinal study investigates whether boys’ and girls’ mindreading abilities, problems with classmates, and self-control skills predict loneliness. 212 sixth- (N = 66), seventh- (N = 76) eighth-graders (N = 70) from Northern Italy (124 boys and 88 girls; aged 10-14 years (M = 12.34 years, SD = 10.57 months) completed measures of ToM skills and loneliness. Two teachers rated children’s self-control and peer problems. All the measures were completed at the beginning of the school year (T1) and four months later (T2). Across time, results showed girls (tT2(197) = -2.234, p = .027) scored higher than boys in mindreading and loneliness (tT1(188) = -2.763, p = .007; tT2(185) = -2.201, p = .030). Regression models showed for boys, T1 feelings of loneliness predicted T2 loneliness (β = .643, p < .001). For girls, T1 feelings of loneliness (β = .593, p < .001) and peer problems (β = .262, p = .024) predicted T2 feelings of loneliness. Also, girls’ concurrent ToM skills explained an additional portion of variance in their loneliness (β = .253, p = .004). Thus, girls’ relations with their peers may play a role in their feelings of loneliness, as their mindreading abilities may exacerbate instead of ameliorate their social dissatisfaction. Implications for developmental research and practice in adolescents’ mindreading and peer relations are discussed.