Loneliness In Students Research Articles

Helping Students Make Meaningful Connections: A Cross-Sectional Survey of College Student Loneliness

ABSTRACT Background Young adults are experiencing high levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. At colleges and universities across the United States, programs exist to address student mental health needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose Current levels of loneliness among students (n = 487) at a Midwest university were researched to compare with previous trends and develop clearer recommendations for purposeful interventions. Methods This study utilized a cross-sectional study design with the UCLA Loneliness Scale during the fall 2022 semester. Results Higher levels of loneliness were linked to the demographics of identifying as cis-males, non-binary, and/or students of color. Students who had greater than 4+ h of social media usage per week and first year students also displayed the highest levels of loneliness. Qualitative data from student participants highlighted the importance of having a peer attend events with them, familiarity of event structures, and expanding access to counseling services and mentorship programs. Discussion Intentional development of programs needs to be prioritized to address student loneliness on campus. Translation to Health Education Practice With the increase in loneliness across the United States, there existopportunities for mentoring programs for struggling students and to build community to normalize the promotion of mental and emotional health resources.

The impact of social isolation on smartphone addiction among college students: the multiple mediating effects of loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety.

The widespread use of smartphones has significantly increased smartphone addiction among college students, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, university campuses in mainland China have strictly followed the Chinese government's strict quarantine policy, including closed campus management, prohibitions against gatherings, and social distancing, increasing student loneliness and anxiety and thus increasing the risk of smartphone addiction. Extant Studies have revealed that social isolation is a prominent predictor of smartphone addiction but have failed to systematically explore the complex relationship between social isolation and smartphone addiction in the context of COVID-19; therefore, the underlying mechanisms of these factors in the post-pandemic era are unclear. This study is the first attempt to consider loneliness, COVID-19 anxiety and social isolation as a whole and to clarify the underlying mechanisms of social isolation and smartphone addiction by constructing a multiple mediating model. This study included students enrolled at eight higher education institutions in Conghua District (Guangzhou city). Quota proportional sampling was adopted, 900 self-report questionnaires were distributed through the WeChat groups of these universities from December 10 to December 15, 2022, and 868 valid questionnaires (620 females, 248 males) were ultimately obtained. The direct effect of social isolation on smartphone addiction was significant, and loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety mediated the association between social isolation and smartphone addiction in both parallel and sequential ways. Moreover, a reverse mediation model with COVID-19 anxiety as the first mediator and loneliness as the second mediator was found. College students who experience social isolation are at greater risk for smartphone addiction, and the core factor leading to their smartphone addiction is the subjective psychological state triggered by campus isolation and social distancing, such as loneliness and anxiety. These risky behaviors of people should receive extra attention, and psychological factors such as loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety should be considered in future therapies aimed at reducing addiction.

대학생의 외로움과 소비자행복과의 관계에서 공동체의식과 관계적 소비의 매개효과

Consumer happiness is the ultimate goal pursued by consumers, and it is important to understand the variables related to it. This study analyzed the mediating effects of sense of community and relational consumption to study the relationship between loneliness and consumer happiness. For the study, 288 university students were randomly sampled and an online survey was conducted from May 4 to May 31, 2023. For data analysis, serial mediation analysis was performed using Hayes' SPSS Process Macro (version 3.5.2) model 6, and Bootstrapping was performed to verify the significance of indirect effects. The results of the analysis are as follows: First, in the relationship between loneliness and consumer happiness among students, the sequential mediating effect of sense of community and relational consumption was statistically significant. Second, it was found that the level of loneliness of students seeking financial support has a negative effect on relational consumption, and relational consumption has a positive effect on consumer happiness. Third, when seeking psycho-emotional support, loneliness has a positive effect on a sense of community, a sense of community has a positive effect on relational consumption, and relational consumption has a positive effect on consumer happiness.

Students’ Loneliness

The aim of this study was to investigate whether support in the offline world and some aspects of social network use predict loneliness in students. A cross-sectional online study was conducted in March 2023 on a sample of 211 (80.6% female) students aged 18 to 26. Participants provided information on the social support they receive in the offline world (tangible support, evaluative support, self-esteem support, and belonging support), some aspects of their social network use (intensity of use, number of friends, and number of likes and comments), and loneliness. The data was analysed using a hierarchical regression analysis. As expected, the analysis showed that stronger appraisal, stronger self-esteem, and stronger belonging support in offline life were associated with lower loneliness in students. Surprisingly, none of the measured aspects of social network use significantly predicted students’ loneliness. These results provide valuable insight into understanding loneliness in the context of offline and online social relationships.

Confronting the Bullies, Comforting the Victim, or Reporting to University Staff? Prosocial Intentions Towards Social Exclusion in University Students

AbstractSocial exclusion as a form of in-person relational bullying in higher education (HE) leads to loneliness in students and puts their mental well-being at risk. Utilising and extending the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), we investigated prosocial intentions towards bullying in HE students. We included empathic concern and anticipated regret to potentially explain differences in three behavioural intentions towards bullying: comforting the victim, confronting the bullies, and reporting the bullying to the university. The sample comprised 419 participants in an online sample from the UK (MAge = 22.76 years, SDAge = 4.02 years; 47.0% male, 50.6% female, 2.4% other) who filled in a digital questionnaire consisting of a short vignette describing an in-person situation of relational bullying. Applying structural equation modelling, we examined the three prosocial behavioural intentions towards bullying as outcome variables in two models while controlling for age, gender, and socially desirable responding. Traditional TPB predictors were positively associated with confronting the bullies. Empathic concern and anticipated regret were positively associated with comforting the victim. These results demonstrate how cognitive and emotional predictors uniquely contribute to prosocial intentions towards bullying among students. We discuss practical implications for the design of anti-bullying strategies in HE.

Starting an undergraduate degree amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-method egocentric network study on student loneliness.

Students who began their undergraduate university studies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (the 'COVID cohort'), may have been particularly at risk for experiencing increased loneliness. This study employed an exploratory egocentric network and mixed-methods approach to investigate the links between social networks and loneliness in the COVID cohort. Of sixty-one respondents meeting inclusion criteria for the study, fifty-eight first-year undergraduate students from the September 2020 intake at a large Scottish University provided egocentric network data via an online survey, as well as responses to three open-ended questions which were aimed at generating qualitative data about participants' experiences of starting university in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bivariate analyses suggest that having a larger social network, and higher satisfaction with that network, was associated with reduced loneliness. We additionally explored these associations in subsamples of students living on-campus and living off-campus. Our qualitative data adds valuable insight into the impact that pandemic-related social-distancing restrictions had on limiting students' opportunities for meeting their peers and forging meaningful social connections at university. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and an exploratory approach requiring further investigation and replication. However, in the context of universities continuing to use hybrid teaching models, this study provides useful initial insights, highlighting potential avenues for institutions to support students in developing social connections in the transition to higher education.

Wander Alone: Study of Psychological Well-Being and Loneliness of Students with Disabilities

“Wandering” is a form of exploring education for every individual, especially when they want to enter higher education. Becoming a student wanderer, especially for students with disabilities is a challenge for every individual because of various problems that affect individual loneliness. This is inseparable to psychological well-being, and therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between psychological well-being and loneliness of student wanderers with disabilities. The study method is quantitative with correlational design. A total of 76 student wanderers with disabilities who studied at Universitas Brawijaya were recruited as study participants utilizing total sampling. Measurements utilized the Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (α = 0.923) and the Revised University of California, Los Angeles (R-UCLA) Loneliness Scale Version 3 (α = 0.848). Study results prove that psychological well-being is correlated with the loneliness of student wanderers with disabilities (r = - 0.452; sig. = 0.000; p < 0.01), indicating that psychological well-being is one of the factors related to loneliness in student wanderers with disabilities.
 
 Merantau menjadi salah satu bentuk pengeksplorasian pendidikan bagi tiap individu secara khusus ketika hendak masuk perguruan tinggi. Menjadi mahasiswa yang merantau, terlebih bagi mahasiswa difabel, merupakan tantangan tersendiri bagi tiap individu karena berbagai permasalahan yang berdampak pada kesepian individu. Hal ini tidak terlepas dari kesejahteraan psikologis, dan maka dari itu itu, studi ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan kesejahteraan psikologis dan kesepian mahasiswa difabel yang merantau. Metode studi adalah kuantitatif dengan desain korelasional. Sebanyak 76 mahasiswa difabel yang merantau dan berkuliah di Universitas Brawijaya dijadikan sebagai partisipan studi dengan total sampling. Pengukuran variabel menggunakan Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (α = 0,923) dan Revised University of California, Los Angeles (R-UCLA) Loneliness Scale Version 3 (α = 0,848). Hasil studi membuktikan bahwa kesejahteraan psikologis berkorelasi dengan kesepian mahasiswa difabel yang merantau (r = - 0,452; sig. = 0,000; p < 0,01), mengindikasikan bahwa kesejahteraan psikologis menjadi salah satu faktor yang berhubungan dengan kesepian pada mahasiswa difabel yang merantau.

The Role of Electronic Sports as a Moderator on the Causal Relationship Between Alexithymia and Social Loneliness in High School Students (Khorasan Razavi)

Background and Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the impact of alexithymia on social loneliness in high school students with the moderating role of electronic sports and to present a model. Methods and Materials: This research is descriptive-survey in strategy and causal in hypothesis formation. Data collection involved standard questionnaires used in reputable international and domestic studies, including the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Lee and Hyun Social Loneliness Scale, and the Electronic Sports Scale. To assess the construct validity of the questionnaires, first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analyses were utilized. The internal reliability of the questionnaire items was measured using Cronbach's alpha, which, as observed in this study, exceeded 0.7, indicating acceptable reliability. The statistical population comprised all male high school students in District 2 of the Mashhad Education Department. For empirical and practical investigation, a sample of 400 male students was selected. In this study, SPSS version 25 was used for descriptive statistics and examining the relationships between research variables, while Smart PLS version 3 was used for structural equation modeling to design the research model. Findings: The findings indicated that alexithymia, external-oriented thinking, and difficulty in describing feelings all significantly affect social loneliness. Additionally, the findings showed that electronic sports do not have a moderating effect on the causal relationship between alexithymia and social loneliness. According to the results, the SRMR fit index was 0.078, which is below the 0.08 threshold at the 0.05 significance level, indicating that the structural model of the research has a good fit. Conclusion: The study confirms that alexithymia significantly impacts social loneliness among high school students. However, electronic sports do not moderate this relationship. These findings suggest that enhancing emotional awareness and expression skills may reduce social loneliness in students.

Post-lockdown loneliness and social isolation among French students

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the protective and risk factors involved in student loneliness after the lockdown measures taken limiting social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.Design/methodology/approachUsing a cross-sectional survey methodology, the authors collected data on a sample of 546 students pursuing management education in a French business school in several campuses. Loneliness was measured by the three-item UCLA loneliness scale. Logistic regression analysis examined the factors influencing student loneliness.FindingsThe prevalence of loneliness was 23.4%. Risk factors for loneliness were social isolation especially in terms of intensity and isolation from friends (OR: 5.40), having a regular paid activity (OR: 1.62) and not getting academic help from other students (OR: 2.11) or taking meals alone during the lockdowns (OR: 1.94). Being a male student (OR: 0.47), practicing a sport (OR: 0.64) and studying at a specific campus (OR: 0.43) were protective factors.Practical implicationsUnderstanding protective and risk factors affecting student loneliness helps higher education decision-makers to take the necessary actions to enhance student well-being which have an effect on learning processes.Originality/valueLoneliness is a major public health concern among students. Knowledge of the determinants for loneliness are limited and this article attempts to augment this by exploring several protective and risk indicators of loneliness among French students.

Loneliness & College Students: A Needs Assessment Regarding Georgetown Student Experiences in a Post-Virtual World

The educational adjustments to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., distance learning and Zoom) have led to instances of loneliness and isolation among college students, especially at residential campuses such as Georgetown University. Such social disengagement can have a significant impact on a student’s transition to campus and can have a lasting effect on the rest of their college life. This needs assessment (performed in the Spring of 2022) explores the impact of loneliness among students, including themes such as mental health issues, loss of campus engagement, and problems with relationship-building. Pre-pandemic data on the social experiences of high-risk populations on college campuses are included to highlight how the post-virtual environment may have exacerbated varying pre-existing levels of loneliness. This data provides background for the needs assessment of the post-virtual world, as the core focus of this paper is solely post-virtual education/post-pandemic student experiences. We hypothesized that student and faculty interviews conducted at Georgetown University, and scholarly analysis of literature, would indicate the need for improved social support in the college setting. Students reported a lack of connection and increased mental health challenges due to the virtual environment of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the research, we determined that an app to address student loneliness (Nod), opportunities to engage with faculty, spaces of well-being on campus, and quality and accessible mental health resources are recommended to combat student loneliness. The negative impacts of the pandemic are still affecting college students today. Thus, it is necessary to identify ways to mitigate increased loneliness and isolation.

Social Support and Daytime Sleepiness Among Chinese Medical Students: Mediating Roles of Loneliness and Problematic Smartphone Use.

Sleep problems have become a serious threat to public health worldwide. Daytime sleepiness is an important indicator of many sleep problems, which have a significant impact on academic performance, physical and mental health, and wellbeing among medical students. We aimed to explore the factors associated with daytime sleepiness among medical students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 466 medical students recruited via convenience sampling. Self-rated psychometric scales, including the Social Support Rate Scale, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Chinese version of the UCLA loneliness scale, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), were utilized to evaluate social support, daytime sleepiness, loneliness, and problematic smartphone use. A sequential mediation model was constructed with daytime sleepiness as the dependent variable, social support as the independent variable, and loneliness and problematic smartphone use as mediating variables. Age, gender, and grade were taken as covariates. Social support among medical students was negatively associated with loneliness, problematic smartphone use, and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.01). A sequential mediation analysis showed that loneliness (the first mediator) and problematic smartphone use (the second mediator) sequentially mediated the path from social support to daytime sleepiness among medical students (β = -0.008; 95% CI = -0.016, -0.002). Moreover, there were also significant mediating roles observed in the relationship between social support and daytime sleepiness via loneliness only (β = -0.037; 95% CI = -0.062, -0.015) and problematic smartphone use only (β = -0.022; 95% CI = -0.041, -0.008). Social support, loneliness, and problematic smartphone use among medical students influenced their daytime sleepiness. Interventions targeting medical student loneliness and problematic smartphone use behaviors might attenuate the effects from low levels of social support and further improve daytime sleepiness.

The Relationship Between Loneliness and Nomophobia in Nursing Students

Purpose: This study aims to determine the relationship between loneliness and nomophobia among S1 nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis. Methods: The method used in this research is quantitative research with a correlational approach. The population in this study was 132 undergraduate nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis. Sampling is done using the G*Power application. The number of samples in this study was 42. The research was conducted on March 28–29, 2023. Results: The results showed that the picture of loneliness in students mostly experienced moderate loneliness, as many as 20 respondents (47.6%). The picture of nomophobia students mostly experienced moderate nomophobia; as many as 17 respondents (40.5%) The results of the data analysis show a p-value of 0.692 &gt; 0.05. Conclusions: This study concludes that there is no relationship between loneliness and nomophobia among S1 nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis.

The Relationship Between Vision And Ability To Activity In Post Cataract Surgery Patients At Pandega Hospital, Pangandaran District

Purpose: This study aims to determine the relationship between loneliness and nomophobia among S1 nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis. Methods: The method used in this research is quantitative research with a correlational approach. The population in this study was 132 undergraduate nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis. Sampling is done using the G*Power application. The number of samples in this study was 42. The research was conducted on March 28–29, 2023. Results: The results showed that the picture of loneliness in students mostly experienced moderate loneliness, as many as 20 respondents (47.6%). The picture of nomophobia students mostly experienced moderate nomophobia; as many as 17 respondents (40.5%) The results of the data analysis show a p-value of 0.692 &gt; 0.05. Conclusions: This study concludes that there is no relationship between loneliness and nomophobia among S1 nursing students at STIKes Muhammadiyah Ciamis.

ПЕРЕЖИВАНИЕ ОДИНОЧЕСТВА И САМООТНОШЕНИЕ У СТУДЕНТОВ РАЗНЫХ КУРСОВ ОБУЧЕНИЯ

The article deals with the problem of self-attitude and the experience of loneliness in student age. The data of an empirical study of this problem are presented. It is shown that self-attitude and the experience of loneliness in students of different courses of study have their own characteristics. There is evidence of an existing relationship between the level of subjective feeling of loneliness and self-attitude among students.

코로나19 비대면 학습 환경에서 대학생의 외로움이 문제성 인터넷 사용에 미치는 영향

This study examined the role of fear of missing out(FoMO) and perceived stress on the relationship between college students’ loneliness and problematic internet use(PIU) based on a model of compensatory internet use and Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model. A total of 289 freshmen and sophomore who have enrolled at least one full semester during the COVID-19 pandemic participated. The results indicated that college student's loneliness had a significant positive effect on PIU through fear of missing out and perceived stress. Furthermore, fear of missing out and perceived stress have sequential mediating effects on the the link between loneliness and PIU. Based on these results, implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.

Me and others - Investigation of the degree of loneliness of students of the Vinogradska nursing school

Usamljenost je složen fenomen koji može utjecati na ljude svih dobnih skupina, ali posebno je problematičan kod adolescenata. U današnjem digitalnom dobu mladi se često suočavaju s izazovima koji mogu dovesti do osjećaja izolacije i usamljenosti stoga je sve veći broj mladih ljudi koji se osjećaju kronično usamljenima. Usamljenost je također i složeno stanje koje, ukoliko je dugotrajno, može imati ozbiljne posljedice za mentalno i fizičko zdravlje i opću dobrobit mladih ljudi. Stoga je važno istražiti tu temu kako bismo bolje razumjeli uzroke i posljedice tog sveprisutnog problema i pronašli načine kako ga prevladati. U ovom se radu, uzimajući u obzir relevantnu stručnu literaturu, iznose osnovni faktori koji pridonose usamljenosti kod mladih, rezultati istraživanja stupnja usamljenosti učenika Škole za medicinske sestre Vinogradska te predlažu neka rješenja za stvaranje bolje povezanosti i smanjenje osjećaja usamljenosti kod učenika. Cilj istraživanja usamljenosti nazvanog Ja i drugi je provjeriti stupanj usamljenosti učenika drugih razreda Škole za medicinske sestre Vinogradska, u kojoj domeni učenici osjećaju veću usamljenost te preferiraju li samoću. Samo istraživanje obavljeno je pomoću Google Forms obrasca. Rezultati su pokazali da se kod ispitanika javlja i socijalna i emocionalna usamljenost i to ponajviše usamljenost u ljubavi, no također i to da se od ukupno 81 ispitanika njih 48 (60%) ne osjeća duže vrijeme usamljeno i da se u svrhu ublažavanja toga osjećaja koriste različitim proaktivnim, ali kratkoročnim strategijama. Također, neki učenici ponekad preferiraju samoću, što može biti zaštitni faktor u od štetnih utjecaja same usamljenosti.

‘From a guy’s perspective’? Male students, masculinity and autobiographical loneliness narratives

ABSTRACT While student loneliness is increasingly visible on the research agenda, the relationship between gender and loneliness among students remains unclear. This article employs a feminist perspective on loneliness to interrogate the role of masculinity in shaping male students’ experiences of loneliness at a UK Russell Group university. We argue that a feminist approach to male students’ loneliness decentres masculinity as an explanatory and potentially pathologizing discourse for understanding their experiences of loneliness. Our analysis of male students’ autobiographical loneliness narratives at university highlights a range of other factors shaping their experiences of isolation at university, such as transitioning to the university environment and navigating a range of ways to be social.

Loneliness Mahasiswa selama pandemi COVID-19

This study investigates student loneliness while studying at home/online during the pandemic. The research was conducted in the form of a literature study through accredited studies at Google Scholar. The main documents used are the last 2 years (2020) can be in English or Indonesian and are fully accessible. Based on the results of previous studies, it is known that students experience increased levels of loneliness during distance learning. Loneliness is defined as a condition in which students feel dissatisfied with their lives and are unable to develop warm and deep relationships with friends and the environment, leading to high levels of anxiety, depression and lack of social connections. Lonely people are often unhappy and dissatisfied with themselves and are reluctant to listen to others. It has even been found that some of the psychological disorders associated with loneliness, including emotional distress, self-harm, and degrade current mental health.

Reducing Loneliness in Undergraduate Students through E-Journaling Intervention: A Pre-Experimental Study

The Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has had a devastating psychological impact on society, with the rise of online interaction failing to replace face-to-face interaction, particularly among undergraduate students. Loneliness is a prevalent mental health problem among students during the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of e-journaling intervention in reducing loneliness among undergraduate students. A pre-experimental design was used, with 38 undergraduate students participating in writing activities in the form of journaling every weekday for two weeks. Pre and post-tests were given using the De Jong Giervield Loneliness Scale to evaluate loneliness. The results of a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant difference in loneliness before and after the intervention, with only 40% of participants showing a decrease in loneliness. This suggests that e-journaling intervention is not an effective way to reduce student loneliness during the pandemic. A randomized controlled study is recommended for further exploration of the efficacy of e-journaling intervention.

An Exploratory Study on the Effect of Anxiety-attachment and Self-esteem on University Student's Loneliness in COVID-19 Situation

This study is an investigative study to determine the degree of anxiety-attachment, self-esteem, and loneliness of university students, to identify the relationship between these variables, and to explore the degree of influence on loneliness. The subjects of this study were 235 University students. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 26.0 program. The anxiety attachment average was 54.84 (18.00 to 109.00), the self-esteem average was 31.75 (11.00 to 40.00), and the loneliness scored an average 38.37 (20.00 to 72.00). In Model 1, it was found that the personal characteristics did not statistically significantly explain the loneliness of the subjects. In Model 2, psychological characteristics were added to show 58.5% of explanatory power, and anxiety-attachment (β=.24, p&lt;.001), self-esteem (β=-.62, p&lt;.001) was found to be an important influencing factor explaining loneliness. In conclusion, it is believed that it is possible to reduce the loneliness of research subjects in early adulthood by studying ways to increase self-esteem of university students.