Relationship between loneliness and mental health in students

Thomas Hugh Richardson · Ron E. Roberts

256 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Public Mental Health

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Health disparities and outcomes COVID-19 and Mental Health Student Stress and Coping

Abstract

Purpose Previous cross-sectional research has examined the effect of loneliness on mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine longitudinal relationships in students. Design/methodology/approach A total of 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of loneliness and mental health at four time points. Findings After controlling for demographics and baseline mental health, greater loneliness predicted greater anxiety, stress, depression and general mental health over time. There was no evidence that mental health problems increased loneliness over time. There was no relationship with alcohol problems. Baseline loneliness predicted greater eating disorder risk at follow-up and vice versa. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by a relatively small and heavily female sample. Practical implications Social and psychological interventions to reduce loneliness in university settings may improve mental health. Social implications Universities should consider organising social activities to mitigate feelings of loneliness in students. Originality/value This study adds to the literature as a longitudinal analysis showing that loneliness exacerbates poor mental health over time. This also adds to the literature for students specifically, and suggests a possible bi-directional relationship between eating disorders and loneliness for the first time.

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References

1977The CES-D Scale 1983A Global Measure of Perceived Stress 2006A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder 1980The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence.1982The Eating Attitudes Test: psychometric features and clinical correlates 2010Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms 2004A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large Surveys 2008Validation and Standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the General Population

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2019Loneliness as a mediator for college students' social skills and experiences of depression and anxiety 2020Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Wellbeing at Universities in the United Kingdom: A Conceptual Analysis 2018Student mental health: some answers and more questions 2023The social cost of depression: Investigating the impact of impaired social emotion regulation, social cognition, and interpersonal behavior on social functioning 2019Sleep problem, suicide and self-harm in university students: A systematic review

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