Abstract
Research has shown that gender and gender-linked traits may contribute to individuals’ loneliness. This study examined the relations between gender, gender traits and various types of loneliness. It also addressed whether self-esteem might mediate such relations. Measures included a Demographic Questionnaire, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults – SF. The final sample consisted of 76 females and 44 males. Men had higher global loneliness scores than women. For females, higher levels of masculinity were associated with reduced loneliness feelings, but the effect of masculinity was mediated by self-esteem. For males, neither gender roles nor self-esteem explained the degree of loneliness. Relative to undifferentiated-types, androgynous individuals tended to show the lowest levels of global loneliness. Masculinity and self-esteem was important in reducing loneliness for females, but future studies should continue to explore other factors that might contribute to males’ loneliness.