| This research explored the role of social-communicative skills in the development of loneliness among college men and women. First, an extensive review of the loneliness literature resulted in the formulation of a comprehensive conceptual model of loneliness. The model included variables that have been related to feelings of loneliness in previous research in the following areas: personal factors, situational factors, cognitive-affective development, basic components of social skill, interpersonal competencies, network structure, and network satisfaction.; Next, the social-communicative skill component of the model, which included the basic components of social skill, interpersonal competencies, network structure, and network satisfaction, was selected for further investigation. The basic components of social skill included six skill areas related to verbal and nonverbal sending, receiving, and regulation. Interpersonal competencies included initiation, self-disclosure, emotional support, conflict management, and negative assertion. Network structure referred to the quantity and quality of one's personal relationships and included intimacy, communal support, and density. Network satisfaction was the extent to which individuals were satisfied with their close relationships. Because gender differences have been found among the variables of interest within the social-communicative skill model of loneliness, the model was modified to accommodate such research findings. Additionally, the model was proposed as a causal model that depicts the manner in which social skills develop and lead to satisfying social relationships, thereby reducing feelings of loneliness.; Finally, a linear structural equation modeling (LISREL) procedure was used to analyze the data obtained from 211 college women and 86 college men on the variables in the model. The LISREL approach resulted in a good fit of the model to the data for both the women and the men, indicating that the proposed model provided a reasonable framework from which gender differences could be explored. In the final analysis, the results indicated that women and men come to experience loneliness through different paths. |
