Perceived Impact of Loneliness on College Students’ Well-being
Mentor Information
Amber Gum (College of Behavioral and Community Sciences)
Description
Loneliness is a common and growing phenomenon on college campuses, and has detrimental effects on students’ health and well-being. The purpose of this survey was to assess USF students regarding their perceptions of the impact of loneliness on student well-being, including social and academic functioning as well as mental and physical health. Survey questions were derived from the UCLA loneliness scale and supplemented by the literature concerning loneliness among college students. The anonymous online survey was distributed by email to all USF students within the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS). Participation in the survey was voluntary, so data was obtained from a sample of CBCS students who wished to respond. Preliminary analysis of data from the survey displays that 42% of respondents strongly agreed that loneliness impairs or decreases social functioning and 41% somewhat agreed that loneliness makes it difficult to retain information essential for academic success. On a scale of 0-10, 87% of students rated the impact of loneliness on emotional health as 8 or higher and 51% of students rated its impact on physical health as 8 or higher. This data demonstrates that USF students perceive loneliness to have a notable impact on student well-being, and illustrates a need for further implementation of loneliness interventions at the University of South Florida.
Perceived Impact of Loneliness on College Students’ Well-being
Loneliness is a common and growing phenomenon on college campuses, and has detrimental effects on students’ health and well-being. The purpose of this survey was to assess USF students regarding their perceptions of the impact of loneliness on student well-being, including social and academic functioning as well as mental and physical health. Survey questions were derived from the UCLA loneliness scale and supplemented by the literature concerning loneliness among college students. The anonymous online survey was distributed by email to all USF students within the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS). Participation in the survey was voluntary, so data was obtained from a sample of CBCS students who wished to respond. Preliminary analysis of data from the survey displays that 42% of respondents strongly agreed that loneliness impairs or decreases social functioning and 41% somewhat agreed that loneliness makes it difficult to retain information essential for academic success. On a scale of 0-10, 87% of students rated the impact of loneliness on emotional health as 8 or higher and 51% of students rated its impact on physical health as 8 or higher. This data demonstrates that USF students perceive loneliness to have a notable impact on student well-being, and illustrates a need for further implementation of loneliness interventions at the University of South Florida.
