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“No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life

Michael Priestley Orcid Logo, Hannah Rachael Slack Orcid Logo, Miss Madiha Islam, Delia Fuhrmann Orcid Logo, Emily Long Orcid Logo, Sarah Crook Orcid Logo, Juliet Foster Orcid Logo, Sophie Homer Orcid Logo, Nicola Byrom Orcid Logo

Journal of Adolescence, Volume: 97, Issue: 5, Pages: 1225 - 1235

Swansea University Author: Sarah Crook Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/jad.12489

Abstract

Introduction: Young adulthood (ages 18–25) is a high‐risk period for loneliness, particularly during educational transitions. Loneliness has negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and educational achievement. Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy be...

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Published in: Journal of Adolescence
ISSN: 0140-1971 1095-9254
Published: Wiley 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69289
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Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy between expected and experienced social connection, but this has been under&#x2010;explored during young adulthood. Method: Drawing on thematic analysis of eight focus groups with 21 young adults in the UK, this paper explores the differences between retrospective expectations and experience of social connection during the transition into university and the implications for loneliness. Results: Whilst social expectations, experiences, and preferences vary considerably, young adults' perception of whether expectations are met is ostensibly more consequential for understanding social (dis)satisfaction than objective indicators of the social experience, such as number or quality of friendships. Moreover, discrepancies between social expectations and experience are intensified by a widespread presumption that social relationships in adulthood will form and function as they did at school, resulting in unexpected barriers, challenges, and effort involved in friendship formation. 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spelling 2025-07-18T14:27:26.2762085 v2 69289 2025-04-14 “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1 0000-0002-1288-1488 Sarah Crook Sarah Crook true false 2025-04-14 CACS Introduction: Young adulthood (ages 18–25) is a high‐risk period for loneliness, particularly during educational transitions. Loneliness has negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and educational achievement. Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy between expected and experienced social connection, but this has been under‐explored during young adulthood. Method: Drawing on thematic analysis of eight focus groups with 21 young adults in the UK, this paper explores the differences between retrospective expectations and experience of social connection during the transition into university and the implications for loneliness. Results: Whilst social expectations, experiences, and preferences vary considerably, young adults' perception of whether expectations are met is ostensibly more consequential for understanding social (dis)satisfaction than objective indicators of the social experience, such as number or quality of friendships. Moreover, discrepancies between social expectations and experience are intensified by a widespread presumption that social relationships in adulthood will form and function as they did at school, resulting in unexpected barriers, challenges, and effort involved in friendship formation. Conclusions: The findings affirm the importance of addressing loneliness holistically during points of transition and creating socially supportive communities for young adults, particularly at university. Journal Article Journal of Adolescence 97 5 1225 1235 Wiley 0140-1971 1095-9254 ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT: loneliness; ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT: well-being; ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: connectedness; ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: friendship and intimacy; ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: peer relationships; ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: socialization and social development; ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: transitions; GROUP OR ENVIRONMENT: college students; METHODOLOGY: qualitative 1 7 2025 2025-07-01 10.1002/jad.12489 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee This research was funded by Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/3; MR/X002810/1; MR/W002442/1) and Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU18). 2025-07-18T14:27:26.2762085 2025-04-14T12:51:02.6836435 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Michael Priestley 0000-0002-7071-7336 1 Hannah Rachael Slack 0000-0003-2522-8717 2 Miss Madiha Islam 3 Delia Fuhrmann 0000-0003-4678-8828 4 Emily Long 0000-0003-1512-4471 5 Sarah Crook 0000-0002-1288-1488 6 Juliet Foster 0000-0002-0801-4429 7 Sophie Homer 0000-0002-1825-5533 8 Nicola Byrom 0000-0003-2104-550X 9 69289__34030__322dfa0f16604f3fb49788a156b35a7b.pdf 69289.VOR.pdf 2025-04-14T14:00:42.2458323 Output 465623 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Adolescence published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
spellingShingle “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
Sarah Crook
title_short “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
title_full “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
title_fullStr “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
title_full_unstemmed “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
title_sort “No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way”: A Qualitative Exploration of Friendship Expectations and Reality in University Life
author_id_str_mv b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1
author_id_fullname_str_mv b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1_***_Sarah Crook
author Sarah Crook
author2 Michael Priestley
Hannah Rachael Slack
Miss Madiha Islam
Delia Fuhrmann
Emily Long
Sarah Crook
Juliet Foster
Sophie Homer
Nicola Byrom
format Journal article
container_title Journal of Adolescence
container_volume 97
container_issue 5
container_start_page 1225
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 0140-1971
1095-9254
doi_str_mv 10.1002/jad.12489
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Introduction: Young adulthood (ages 18–25) is a high‐risk period for loneliness, particularly during educational transitions. Loneliness has negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and educational achievement. Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy between expected and experienced social connection, but this has been under‐explored during young adulthood. Method: Drawing on thematic analysis of eight focus groups with 21 young adults in the UK, this paper explores the differences between retrospective expectations and experience of social connection during the transition into university and the implications for loneliness. Results: Whilst social expectations, experiences, and preferences vary considerably, young adults' perception of whether expectations are met is ostensibly more consequential for understanding social (dis)satisfaction than objective indicators of the social experience, such as number or quality of friendships. Moreover, discrepancies between social expectations and experience are intensified by a widespread presumption that social relationships in adulthood will form and function as they did at school, resulting in unexpected barriers, challenges, and effort involved in friendship formation. Conclusions: The findings affirm the importance of addressing loneliness holistically during points of transition and creating socially supportive communities for young adults, particularly at university.
published_date 2025-07-01T17:53:46Z
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score 11.08899

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