Date of Award
4-1984
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Counseling and Personnel
First Advisor
Dr. Thelma Urbick
Second Advisor
Dr. Robert Brashear
Third Advisor
Dr. Chris Koronakos
Fourth Advisor
Dr. George Sidney
Abstract
Loneliness is a common problem that occurs at various life stages, but is most intense for college students. To clarify and operationalize the concepts of loneliness, several current sociological and psychological approaches to loneliness were critically examined.
The major purposes of this study were to identify the lonely among the student population, the types of loneliness they experience, the behavioral manifestations of that loneliness, and the effectiveness of an intervention method. The Belcher Extended Loneliness Scale as administered to 126 students in a pretest and 203 students in a posttest. The students also answered questions about grade point average and plans to return to Western Michigan University.
Although there was no support for loneliness being reduced as a result of the intervention, statistical analyses revealed that other factors were found to influence the loneliness scores. Students that reported failing grade point averages also reported more loneliness. Males were significantly lonelier, when both gender and living arrangements were considered. Females living in coed residence halls were the least lonely group.
Implications for interventions based upon validated research findings were discussed. Finally, some major implications and caveats for future empirical studies on loneliness among college students are indicated.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Wood, Jerie Kull, "The Psychological Aspects of Loneliness Experienced by College Students" (1984). Dissertations. 2406.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2406