The Mediating Role Of Resilience Between Different Sources Of Loneliness And Depression Among University Students

Abstract

Transitioning into adulthood brings about new challenges for university students, and one of the significant issues is loneliness. The current study aimed to explore the experience of different types of loneliness (family, romantic, and social) among male and female university students and its relation to resilience and depression. This study also explored the mediating role of resilience between different types of loneliness and depression. Two hundred university students (18-24 years of age) completed self-report questionnaires measuring loneliness, resilience, and depression. The results indicated no gender differences in different kinds of loneliness, and romantic loneliness was higher among university students than family and social loneliness. A low-to-moderate positive significant relationship exists between social loneliness and romantic loneliness and between social loneliness and family loneliness. All three kinds of loneliness negatively predict resilience and positively predict depression. Moreover, results showed that resilience partially mediated the relationship between family loneliness and depression. The findings have important implications in highlighting the role of different types of loneliness and resilience in health outcomes among university students. Interventions focusing on improving resilience may play an essential role in alleviating loneliness among university students.