A Meta-Analytic Study of Loneliness
The MASLO project is a large database that contains all studies that have assessed loneliness with a standardized measure. I have created this database by conducting a literature search in Psychinfo, ERIC, PubMed, and Web of Science (click here for a list of the search terms used). The MASLO database currently contains over 2,300 studies, spanning research across more than 60 countries around the world. All studies were coded using a comprehensive coding manual. Because of the broad scope of the MASLO project, the data can be used to examine a large variety of research questions.
Several studies have already been conducted:
Maes, M., Nelemans, S.A., Danneel, S., Fernández-Castilla, B., Van den Noortgate, W., Goossens, L., & Vanhalst, J. (2019). Loneliness and social anxiety across childhood and adolescence: Multilevel meta-analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal associations. Developmental Psychology, 55, 1548-1565. doi:10.1037/dev0000719
Maes, M., Qualter, P., Lodder, G. M., & Mund, M. (2022). How (not) to measure loneliness: A review of the eight most commonly used scales. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 10816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710816
Maes, M., Qualter, P., Vanhalst, J., Van den Noortgate, W., & Goossens, L. (2019). Gender differences in loneliness across the lifespan: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Personality, 33, 642-654. doi:10.1002/per.2220
Maes, M., Van den Noortgate, W., Fustolo-Gunnink, S., Rassart, J., Luyckx, K., & Goossens, L. (2017). Loneliness in children and adolescents with chronic physical conditions: A meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42, 622-635. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsx046