Exploring loneliness and students’ sense of coherence (S-SoC) in the university setting

Abstract

Background. Loneliness is a prevalent global public health issue, and this topic is also common among university students. From a health-related, resource-oriented approach like the salutogenic model, loneliness can be interpreted as a potential stressor. To cope effectively with this stressor, a strong Sense of Coherence is needed to mobilize resources like social support. Interventions to promote health and wellbeing within a university setting should include a salutogenic focus. However, currently, research regarding salutogenesis within the higher education setting is lacking. Therefore, this study aims to make the first attempt to explore the relation between loneliness and the Students' Sense of Coherence (S-SoC) among university students. Methods. An online questionnaire was sent out to all university students from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS), Austria. The online questionnaire was completed by 584 students (response rate of 28.86 %); 67.3% were female, and the average age was 25.16 years ( SD = 6.27 years). Full-time students made up 75.6% of the sample, and 84.6% were in a Bachelor's degree program. The S-SoC and the sub-scales comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability were measured by using the valid S-SoC scale (Brunner et al., 2009). Social and emotional loneliness was measured by using the six-item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale (Jong Gierveld & van Tilburg, 2006). Spearman correlations and Kruskal-Wallis H-tests were computed among all loneliness and S-SoC sub-scales and other variables (e.g., age, sex...). Furthermore, a graphical model was used to show structural relationships between loneliness and S-SoC and control variables. Results. The results showed that students feeling moderate or severe general loneliness had lower S-SoC scores than students feeling low or not general lonely. Manageability was a pivotal point in this model, as it was inversely proportional to both measures of loneliness. Perceived social loneliness was reported most by men and part-time students. Conclusion. In order to fulfill study-related demands, students activate appropriate resources (e.g., social support), which corresponds to low social and emotional loneliness. However, in the development of health promoting interventions against loneliness among students, it would be necessary to consider sex and mode of study and to address health needs and problems with a salutogenic focus.