Abstract

The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links neighborhood opportunities for activities and meeting places and social resources (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood friendship and neighborhood attachment) to loneliness in early adolescence, taking into account the potential mediating role of perceived support of friends. data were collected in a sample of 1,145 Italian early adolescents (6th through 8th graders). results showed that higher levels of perceived opportunities and social re- sources in the neighborhood are related to lower levels of adolescent loneliness, and this relation is partially mediated by perceived social support from friends. the results offer promising implications for future research and intervention programs that aim to promote positive adjustment in adolescents, protecting them from loneliness.