Research Interests for Molly Weeks

Broadly, my research examines the influence of social experiences on emotional well-being in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, and can be categorized into two separate though related lines of inquiry. The first line of inquiry focuses on the conceptualization and assessment of loneliness and belongingness, with the aim of evaluating the viability of a conceptual distinction between the two constructs by examining the overlapping and distinct factors that influence each experience. The second line of inquiry focuses more specifically on loneliness, and how relationship expectations and experiences interact to produce feelings of loneliness for male and female youth.

For further information on the Duke Social Relationships Project, a four-year study examining social and academic experiences in college and their association with emotional well-being, see: http://sites.duke.edu/dsrp

Keywords:

Social development, Peer relations, Friendship, Loneliness, Belonging, Gender

Recent Publications   (search)

1. Vanhalst, J; Soenens, B; Luyckx, K; Petegem, SV; Weeks, MS; Asher, SR, Why do the chronically lonely stay lonely? Chronically lonely children and adolescents attributions and emotions in situations of social inclusion and exclusion., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 109 no. 5 (November, 2015), pp. 932-948, American Psychological Association [doi] [abs]
2. Asher, SR; Weeks, MS, Loneliness and belongingness in the college years, in Wiley-Blackwell handbook of solitude: Psychological perspectives on social isolation, social withdrawal, and being alone, edited by Coplan, RJ; Bowker, JC (2014), pp. 283-301, WILEY-BLACKWELL
3. Weeks, MS; Asher, SR, Loneliness in childhood: toward the next generation of assessment and research., Advances in Child Development and Behavior, vol. 42 (2012), pp. 1-39 [doi] [abs]
4. Weeks, MS; Asher, SR, Loneliness in childhood: Toward the next generation of assessment and research, in Advances in Child Development and Behavior, edited by Benson, JB, vol. 42 (2012), pp. 1-39, Academic Press
5. MacEvoy, JP; Weeks, MS; Asher, SR, Loneliness, in Encyclopedia of adolescence,, vol. 2 (2011), pp. 178-187, Academic Press [doi] [abs]