Ungdomars levda erfarenhet av existentiell ensamhet i institutionsvård

Abstract

This article explores how young people placed in residential care experience existential loneliness, and how this form of loneliness takes shape in the interplay between the institutional environment and the interpersonal relationships that unfold within it. The study draws on an existential-phenomenological perspective, in which loneliness is understood as an inescapable aspect of the human condition, particularly evident in times of crisis and in contexts lacking relational reciprocity. Empirically, the study is based on participant observations and individual interviews with a total of 16 youths aged 14–20, placed in five different residential care facilities in southern Sweden. The findings indicate that the youths’ lived experiences of loneliness were often characterized by a sense of not being understood, being forced into predetermined structures or being reduced to a client. At the same time, moments of togetherness and everyday conversation emerged as important. By acknowledging youths’ experiences of existential loneliness as a fundamental condition of life, staff may avoid interpreting it solely as a treatable symptom. Instead, professionals are encouraged to engage with the young people beyond formal roles and standardized interventions. Such an approach can potentially enable young people’s experiences of existential loneliness to be recognized rather than dismissed.