Introduction. The work concerns a comparative analysis of family systems and the feeling of loneliness of teenagers coming from families separated and not separated, for economic reasons. Systemic dimensions of the family referring to the Circumplex Model by David Olson (2011) were analysed, such as coherence (from disengaged, separated, connected, to enmeshed), adaptability / fl exibility (from rigid, structured, fl exible, to chaotic), communication, and satisfaction with family life. Teenagers’ sense of loneliness was presented in accordance with the original three-dimensional concept of social, emotional, and existential psychological loneliness ( Dołęga, 2020). Aim. The aim of the study is to verify the belief that the time-space separation of families for economic reasons adversely affects the system functioning and increases the sense of loneliness of teenagers growing up in them. Materials and methods. The work uses the proprietary family life survey, the Polish adaptation of FACES IV (Margasiński, 2009) based on Olson’s Circumplex Model (2011), and the Loneliness Scale for Youth (SBS, Dołęga, 2003). The study was an environmental microanalysis with a deliberate selection of two groups of families that differed, essentially, only in the manner of implementing the economic function (traditional families versus those separated for economic reasons). The gender factor was controlled. In statistical analyses, normality tests and other distribution parameters as well as a two-way analysis of variance were used. Results. The obtained results prove that there are no fundamental differences in the functioning of family systems and the sense of loneliness of young people from the analyzed types of families. On the other hand, the sex factor is signifi cant, as it produces results in line with the cultural pattern of gender (upbringing gender). Girls from separated families perceive their less cohesion, while boys from separated families appreciate their greater fl exibility. Conclusion. These results call into question the validity of the widespread belief that parents’ gainful employment resulting in temporary separation of families is associated with an indisputable risk of destabilization of families and an increase in the sense of loneliness of adolescents. It also prompts refl ection on the unjustifi ed journalistic use of the term „euro-orphan”.