Abstract: This study aimed to explore the relations among Big Five personality, interpersonal competence and adolescents loneliness, by surveying 500 high school students from two public high schools in Henan province with the NEO FiveFactor Inventory (NEOFFI), the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Results showed that: (1) Big Five personality correlated closely with adolescents loneliness. Specifically, neuroticism correlated significantly and positively with loneliness, while the other four personality dimensions correlated significantly and negatively with loneliness; extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism were strong predictors of loneliness. (2) Big Five personality had important influence on adolescents interpersonal competence: extraversion was a strong predictor of adolescents interpersonal competence, and agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience were relatively stronger predictors of adolescents interpersonal competence, but neuroticism was a relatively weak predictor. (3) Relationship initiation skill and selfdisclosure skill were strong predictors of adolescents loneliness, emotional support skill and conflict resolution skill were relatively stronger predictors of adolescents loneliness. Big Five personality not only had direct effects on adolescents loneliness, but had indirect effects on adolescents loneliness through the mediation of different kinds of interpersonal competence, especially adolescents relationship initiation skill.

Key words: adolescent, Big Five personality, interpersonal competence, loneliness, Bootstrap