COVID-19 and Loneliness in Higher Education: A UK-Based Cohort Comparison Study

Autor/inn/en	Ouzia, Julia; Wong, Keri Ka-Yee; Dommett, Eleanor J.
Titel	COVID-19 and Loneliness in Higher Education: A UK-Based Cohort Comparison Study
Quelle	In: Higher Education Forum, 20 (2023), S.1-21 (21 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2432-9614
Schlagwörter	COVID-19; Pandemics; Psychological Patterns; College Students; Foreign Countries; Cohort Analysis; Predictor Variables; Sense of Community; Social Support Groups; Identification (Psychology); Social Behavior; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Collegestudent; Ausland; Kohortenanalyse; Prädiktor; Social support; Soziale Unterstützung; Social behaviour; Soziales Verhalten; Großbritannien
Abstract	COVID-19 changed university life worldwide as campuses closed or offered restricted inperson teaching. Whilst early evidence suggests that educational experiences were satisfactory, concerns were raised about the impact of COVID-19 on social and psychological elements of university including student loneliness. We conducted a UK-wide cross-sectional cohort comparison study using an anonymous online survey measuring loneliness and the factors which may predict it: belonging (need to belong and achieved belonging), social support, and social identity. We found that students who began their studies at the height of the pandemic (2020/21) or after restrictions largely lifted (2021/22) had a reduced sense of belonging compared to those who started earlier (2019/20), suggesting some longlasting effects on students. Whilst there were no significant cohort differences in loneliness, need to belong, sense of belonging, and social support were significant predictors of loneliness, suggesting these factors could be targeted to reduce loneliness in students going forward. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University. 1-2-2 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima City, Japan 739-8512. Tel: +81-82-424-6240; Fax: +81-82-422-7104; e-mail: k-kokyo@office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Web site: https://rihe.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/publications/en/hef_en/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01