Loneliness, attachment, and the perception and use of social support in university students (original) (raw)

A Study of Students’ Loneliness Levels and Their Attachment Styles

Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between loneliness levels and attachment styles of university students. In this research, it was investigated whether the attachment styles differed in terms of variables such as gender, class, place of stay, socio-economic level of their family, parental education levels, counterpart friendship relations, number of siblings, whether to receive psychological help or not. This research was conducted as a relational search. A total of 247 university students selected randomly formed the sample of the research. The results of the research can be summarized as follows; Loneliness levels of those who perceive the socioeconomic status as low and those who didn't get psychological help are found to be higher. Male students and students who get psychological help have higher scores on secure attachment. According to the results of the research there’s a low negative correlation between the loneliness levels of students and dismis...

An investigation of social skills and loneliness levels of university students with respect to their attachment styles in a sample of Turkish students

2005

This study investigated the effects of attachment styles of university students on their social skills and loneliness levels. Their social skill levels, loneliness levels and attachment styles were measured by the Social Skills Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Relationships Scale Questionnaire respectively. To analyze data. Mest. correlation analysis, and regression analysis were employed. Emotional expressivity levels, emotional sensitivity levels, social control levels, and total social skill levels of female students were found to be significantly higher than those of male students. However, emotional control levels of male students were significantly higher than those of female students. A significant effect of attachment styles on loneliness and social skills was detected. Social skill levels of students who have secure attachment styles were found to be significantly higher than social skills levels of students who have insecure attachment styles. Average loneliness points of students who do not have a romantic relationship were found to be significantly higher than others. However, the average social skill points of those students were found to be significantly lower than others. An individual's ability to have close relationships with others is one of the most important features of a healthy personality. Close relationships influence the personal and social development processes of individuals considerably. Although M. Engin Deniz.

FEELINGS OF SUBJECTIVE EMOTIONAL LONELINESS: AN EXPLORATION OF ATTACHMENT

Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 2006

This study examines the relationships between parental attachment, peer attachment, and subjective feelings of emotional loneliness. Three alternative models were tested in a group of 440 graduating psychology students at Ghent University in Belgium. The first hypothesis explored the linear causal relationship between parental attachment, peer attachment, and feelings of emotional loneliness. The second hypothesis tested the direct relationship between parental attachment and feelings of emotional loneliness, and the third hypothesis examined the reciprocity between feelings of emotional loneliness and peer attachment. Using Structural Equation Modeling, results showed that peer attachment mediates strongly between parental attachment and feelings of emotional loneliness. The direct contribution of parental attachment to feelings of emotional loneliness was rather weak. Finally, feelings of emotional loneliness did not contribute significantly to the explanation of peer-attachment style.

The role of gender, attachment dimensions, and family environment on loneliness among Turkish university students

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of gender, attachment dimensions and family environment in explaining loneliness among students. The study included 473 students (281 females, 192 males) from Ankara University. The UCLA Loneliness Scale, Family Environment Assessment Scale and Experiences in Close Relationships -Revised Questionnaire were administered to all participants. The results of the regression analyses demonstrated that the avoidance dimension of attachment accounted for 11%, avoidance and anxiety 14%, all attachment dimensions and family environment 18%, and all variables together (attachment dimensions, family environment, gender) accounted for 19% of variance in loneliness. The present study demonstrated that insecurely attached males with low-coherent families reported the highest degree of loneliness. On the contrary, securely attached females with high-coherent families reported the lowest degree of loneliness.

Examining the predictors of loneliness levels of university students

Procedia-Social and Behavioral …, 2010

The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent loneliness levels of university students are predicted by their attachment styles, strategies of coping with stress, gender, grade levels and socioeconomic levels. The study group consists of 249 students at the Faculty of Education of a private university in TRNC in the academic year 2008-2009. The data of the research are obtained through the use of Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ), UCLA Loneliness Scale and The Coping Strategy Scale (CSS). In the analysis of the data, Multiple Regression Analysis is used. The results of the study indicate significant relationships among almost all the variables.

Effect of Loneliness on Attachment Styles in Young Adults during Pandemic

2021

Loneliness can be understood as the perceived feeling of being alone. Attachment styles are the ways in which we form bonds or connections with people in social relationships. This study aims to establish the effect of loneliness on attachment styles in young adults during pandemic. A sample of 148 adults was taken between the age group of 18 to 35 years. Two psychological tools were used: UCLA’s Loneliness Scale by Russell, Peplau & Ferguson (1978) and Measure of Attachment Style by Ahmad, Jahan & Imtiaz (2016). Findings show that loneliness has an effect on ambivalent insecure, secure and avoidant insecure attachment styles.

Correlates of loneliness among university students

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2008

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate level of loneliness, essential needs during university education, and relationships between loneliness, essential needs, and characteristics of university students. A sample comprising 721 students participated in the study. The mean age was 21.58 (SD=1.73) with a range from 18 to 25. The majority of the students were female (70.6%) and were living in students’ dormitory (67.5%) with low (87.8%) income, away from their parents. Methods The UCLA-R loneliness scale and sociodemographic questionnaire which includes an open-ended question on essential needs during university education were administered. Pearson-Product-Moment correlations were used to explore the relationships between participants’ loneliness, needs, and characteristics. Results It was found that 60.2% of the participants experienced loneliness. Economical support (81.6%), social interaction (46.9%) and psychosocial support (35%) were the essential needs during university education reported by the participants. The study findings indicate that there were significant relationships between the needs of economical support, social interaction, and loneliness level of university students. Results also show that there were significant relationships among romantic relationship, parents’ status and loneliness. Participants’ loneliness levels were relatively higher who had not any romantic relationship and were not from married families. Conclusions The findings of this study provided essential information, about Turkish university students, concerning: level of loneliness and relationships that exist among loneliness, needs and sociodemographic characteristics. The findings also suggest implications for psychosocial practice. Because of the mean of loneliness were found to be high (45.49±10.07), for this study, professionals need to pay attention to Turkish university students’ psychosocial state, and need to empower them in establishing social relations.

Attachment Need and Fear of Loneliness in Close Relationships

2 nd International Conference on Lifelong Education and Leadership for ALL-ICLEL 2016, 2016

The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between attachment need in close/romantic relationships and fear of loneliness. The study is designed according to mixed research approach. Quantitative and qualitative research instruments were used respectively. Firstly Experience in Close relationships Inventory (ECR) and Adult Separation Anxiety Survey (ASA) were applied to 200 adult individuals aged between 25-35. In the second phase, 30 interviews were conducted with voluntary participants. Data gathered through quantitative and qualitative instruments were interpreted and evaluated together. Independent Samples T-test and Pearson Correlation analyses were conducted for examining quantitative data. Significant difference was found in ASA questionnaire and avoidance dimension of ECR Inventory scores between the groups formed according to gender, relationship status and relationship history. And also, significant differences were detected in both dimensions of ECR and ASA scores between participants who experienced fear of losing someone during a relationship and who did not. Pearson correlation analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between ASA questionnaire and anxiety dimension ECR Inventory. There is also positive and significant relationship between anxiety and avoidance dimensions of ECR. In qualitative phase, phenomenological research design was used. The analysis shows that participants have the fear of losing their partners and family members. Besides, they associated their fear of loneliness with leaving home and being abandoned by parents. Meanings attributed to presence of a partner consist of four themes: safety, sharing life, joy and love. Another finding indicates that absence of a partner leads to feeling incomplete, not being worthy of love and loneliness. Some participants described absence of a partner as a positive process. Possible feelings attributed to hypothetical ending of current relationship are expressed in seven themes: incompleteness, fear, unhappiness, relief, hopefulness for future, disappointment and loss of trust. Loneliness and attachment processes in relationships are not only related to each other, but also they may have significant roles in close relationships. It is suggested to consider dynamics of these concepts and help individuals develop through therapeutic interventions in order to strengthen close relationships, which can deeply affect individuals' existence in personal and social mental heath.