Family Communication, School Climate, and Loneliness among Indian Gen Z Adolescents

Abstract

Background. During the critical phase of adolescence, individuals undergo rapid bodily and psychological changes that they may struggle to comprehend. While striving for autonomy, they may simultaneously experience emotional disconnectedness, thereby increasing their vulnerability to loneliness. In collectivistic societies like India, where close family bonds and supportive social environments play a central role in emotional development, it is essential to examine whether family communication patterns and adolescents’ perceptions of school climate are associated with loneliness. Objectives. Th e present study investigated the in fl uence of Family Communication Patterns (Conversation orientation and Conformity orientation) and School Climate (Social emotional safety, Quality of instructions, Social emotional ethical learning, Morale) with Loneliness as well as gender di ff erences among Gen Z in Himachal Pradesh, India. Methods. Th e study comprised a sample of 406 adolescents (204 girls and 202 boys), aged 14–18 years, selected from public schools in Himachal Pradesh through strati-fi ed random sampling. Standardised tools were used to assess Family Communication Patterns, perceptions of School Climate, and Loneliness. Data were analysed using independent samples t-tests to examine gender di ff erences, Pearson’s correlation to assess associations among variables, and regression analysis to identify predictors of loneliness separately for Gen Z adolescent boys and girls. Results. Findings revealed that Gen Z adolescent girls scored signi fi cantly higher on conversation orientation and all four dimensions of School Climate compared to Gen Z adolescent boys. No signi fi cant gender di ff erence emerged in Loneliness. Among Gen Z adolescent girls, both Conversation and Conformity Orientation show signi fi cant negative correlation with Loneliness. Similarly, together, Conversation Orientation and Quality of Instruction explained 13 per cent of the variance in Gen Z adolescent girls’ loneliness.