Keywords

loneliness, stress, college students

Abstract

Loneliness in college students has been identified as a contributing factor to worsened mental health leading to greater rates of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and others. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the severity of loneliness due to social isolation, however the relationship between loneliness and stress may have changed now in a post-COVID-19 world. This study hypothesized that loneliness does contribute to greater rates of stress in college students and that demographic factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, and first-generation student status influence that interaction. A survey was conducted at the University of Central Florida and acquired 47 total complete responses. Data gathered from the survey aligned with the hypotheses except for data pointing towards identifying as White behaving as an influencing factor rather than identifying as a racial/ethnic minority. Findings from the survey may be used to better reach vulnerable populations as well as information on how to better allocate institution resources.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Rivera, Fernando

College

College of Sciences

Department

Department of Sociology

Thesis Discipline

Sociology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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