Psychological Symptomatology and Loneliness in a College Students Sample: What New Trends can be Developed to Better Help These Students?

Abstract

We explore psychological symptomatology of college students in Madeira University, Portugal and examine socio-demographic variables associated with psychological health. We intend to answer the questions: Does gender differ in terms of symptomatology? Which psychological symptomatology is more common? Is there a relation between severity of symptomatology and loneliness? We administered the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and UCLA Loneliness Scale to 300 students, aged 18 to 52. Women reported higher levels of symptomatology. We also noted a positive correlation between symptomatology and loneliness, which could mean that the more severe are the psychological symptoms, lonelier student's feel. We aim to suggest interventions that best suit higher education purpose and students, promote their adjustment and well-being. Keywords: College students, counselling services, psychopathology, loneliness. SINTOMATOLOGÍA PSICOLÓGICA Y LA SOLEDAD EN UNA MUESTRA DE ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIOS: ¿QUÉ NUEVAS TENDENCIAS SE PUEDEN DESARROLLAR PARA AYUDAR MEJOR A ESTOS ESTUDIANTES? RESUMENSe explora la sintomatología psicológica de los estudiantes universitarios de la Universidad de Madeira, Portugal y se analiza las variables sociodemográficas asociadas a la salud psicológica. Tenemos la intención de responder a las preguntas: ¿el género difiere en cuanto a la sintomatología? ¿Qué sintomatología psicológica es más común? ¿Existe una relación entre la severidad de la sintomatología y la soledad? Se administró el Symptom Checklist-90-Revisado y Escala de Soledad UCLA a 300 estudiantes, de entre 18 y 52. Las mujeres reportaron mayores niveles de sintomatología. También se observó una correlación positiva entre la sintomatología y la soledad, lo que podría significar que el más grave son los síntomas psicológicos, solitaria sensación del estudiante. Nuestro objetivo es proponer intervenciones que mejor se adapten a propósito de la educación superior y a los estudiantes y promover su adaptación y el bienestar. Palabras clave: estudiantes universitarios, servicios de consejería, psicopatología, la soledad.

Self-esteem, Interpersonal Communication Competence, and Media and Technology Usage as Predictors of Loneliness Among University Students

“…These university students are at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness when entering university (Doman & Le Roux, 2012; Schiau, 2016; Seepersad, 2005; Stankovska et al, 2016). International studies show that many university students tend to experience loneliness (Barreto et al, 2021; Knox et al, 2007; Özdemir & Tuncay, 2008; Soares et al, 2012) and with a considerable increase in loneliness from 2014 to 2018 in university students as well as a higher prevalence rate of loneliness among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic (Barreto et al, 2021). This higher rate of loneliness therefore indicates a need for the development of preventive interventions in the student population, and that embarking on studies with regards to loneliness therefore remains relevant and essential (Hysing et al, 2020) Loneliness amongst South African university students is also a concern (Doman & Le Roux, 2012; Pretorius, 1993), with 56.4% of South African students experiencing some level of loneliness, ranging from somewhat lonely (28.7%) to high levels of loneliness (16.2%) and “mostly” (11.5%) feeling lonely (Peltzer & Pengpid, 2017).…”