THEORY OF MIND AND LONELINESS IN LATE CHILDHOOD: WHEN AND HOW DOES GENDER MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Feelings of loneliness reflect the perception of dissatisfaction with one’s interpersonal relationships, and correspond with feelings of sadness, emptiness, and isolation. Developmental trajectories of loneliness across middle childhood and adolescence show a general stability of loneliness from age 8 to age 15. Studies show links between children’s theory of mind (ToM) - or the ability to read the minds and emotions of others - and feelings of loneliness, although results are mixed. Some studies show proficient mindreaders are more lonely, whereas other show the reverse, skilled mindreading relates to higher feelings of social connection (less loneliness). To add to this complexity, few studies explore the combined influence of age and gender. Accordingly, the present study investigated ToM and loneliness in 462 Italian students (252 boys, Mage = 10.80 years, SD = 1.78 years) at the start of the school year (T1) and four months later (T2). At both timepoints students completed a ToM task, a self-report loneliness measure, and teachers evaluated students’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results showed significant relations between ToM and loneliness, as well as significant interactions among gender and age on loneliness and ToM. Children who reported high feelings of loneliness were also rated as high internalizers by teachers. Implications for developmentally appropriate and gender-sensitive mental health and social emotional learning programs are discussed.