Loneliness in the educational environment

Loneliness & education: evaluations of adolescents' loneliness Loneliness is a very topical issue today and is part of every individual. Even though loneliness can be both positive and negative, people tend to associate loneliness more with negative aspects. As time goes on, negative loneliness increasingly affects the lives of young people. The factors that “contribute” to the emergence of the feeling of loneliness are varied, with today’s accelerated lifestyle possibly being one reason. Therefore everyone can be at risk. Unfortunately, not everyone can help themselves and not everyone knows where to seek help. The aim of the work is to point directly to the issue of loneliness in adolescence and to the factors associated with this experience that influence it or contribute to its emergence. In the paper, we focused on loneliness during adolescence, with greatest emphasis on how factors such as academic success, individual status, age, sex, social networks, etc. can influence the emergence of the feeling of loneliness in young people.

Loneliness is often characterized as an unpleasant, painful, anxious desire for another person or persons (Hartog, J., 1980; Ponzetti, J. J., 1990). It is a complex phenomenon, and human experience indicates that all people, to a greater or lesser extent, will experience loneliness at some stage in life. Despite the fact that loneliness is a phenomenon often studied, there is still no consensus on its definitive label. There are many definitions of loneliness. Based on an analysis of its main characteristics, Pinquart and Sorensen (2001) concluded that there are two prevailing types of definitions. The first are definitions in which the main characteristic of loneliness is described as suffering from a lack of contacts. Rook (1984; In: McWhirter, B., 1997) also states that it is an unpleasant emotional state that occurs when a person feels rejected, alienated, and misunderstood by others and lacks companionship, social activities, and emotional intimacy. J. C. Woodward (1988; In: Woodward, J. C., Kalyan-Masih, V., 1990) defines loneliness as a feeling of loneliness and as separation or alienation from significant people, places, or things. The second, socio-cognitive view defines loneliness as a mismatch between the social relationships people have and those they would like to have. This model takes into account the possibility that a person does not feel lonely despite relatively low frequency of social contact and that someone can feel lonely despite a high level of social integration (Pinquart, M., Sorensen, S., 2001). Included in this group is also the most frequently cited definition by A. Peplau and D. Perlmana (1982): “Loneliness is the subjective dissatisfaction with social relationships resulting from ongoing changes in social relationships, or from changes in desires and needs in social relationships.”

Correlates of loneliness in the educational environment

Loneliness correlates with various factors; in some cases this is a positive correlation and in others the reverse, a negative correlation. In this chapter we present some of the most significant correlations of loneliness, such as age, sex, socio-economic status, social networks, and academic success. These are also the key factors that students encounter during education.

The first factor we would mention that correlates with loneliness is age. The age-loneliness relationship curve has a U-shape (Andersson, L., 1998). This means that the highest level of loneliness is among adolescents, that is, students, and in the oldest age groups above 75 years. Many authors emphasize that loneliness is highly intense during adolescence (Brennan, T., 1982; Weiss, R. S., 1973; Woodward, J. C., 1988; In: Kozjak, G., 2005). The increased expression of loneliness in adolescence is attributed to the impact of a range of developmental changes that increase feelings of isolation and the need for friendship. Research on loneliness among adolescents is very important, because many studies showed links with drug and alcohol misuse, delinquency, and suicide (Brennan, T., Ausländer, N., 1979; In: Kozjak, G., 2005). These are pathological phenomena that we often encounter in schools today.

Next, we would discuss the correlation of gender and loneliness. Opposite results exist concerning the extent of loneliness in relation to gender. While some researchers report that women are lonelier than men (e.g., Weiss, P., 1973; In: Kozjak, G., 2005), others found no sex differences in loneliness expression (e.g., Russell, D., 1980; In: Kozjak, G., 2005). Authors such as A. Rokach and H. Brock (1995; In: Penezić, Z., 1999) pointed to the existence of sex differences in loneliness expression, but these differences were in different directions across different factors. Further research suggests that boys and girls experience loneliness differently (e.g., Schmitt, J.P., Kurdek, L.A., 1985; In: Kozjak, G., 2005). Schmitt claims that girls are affected by deeper loneliness when they lack intimacy and trust in interpersonal relationships (intimate loneliness), while boys feel lonelier when they lack a group of friends to turn to for support (social loneliness, In: McWhirter, B., 1997). This may help explain contradictory findings. Different studies use different loneliness measures, and as a result, there are inconsistent results. In several studies conducted in Croatia using the short form of the UCLA loneliness scale, no differences were found between the sexes (Lacković - Grgin, K., 1998; Penezić, Z., 1999).

Another factor that correlates significantly with loneliness is socio-economic status. Two commonly used indicators of economic position are education and financial situation. Students in this case are mainly influenced by their family’s financial situation. Higher income allows a person to engage in various social activities (trips, outings, courses, etc.), which lowers the likelihood of loneliness. In addition, low incomes are often linked to low self-esteem (Pinquart, M., Sorensen, S., 2001; In: Kozjak, G., 2005), which can hinder the search for new social contacts. The reasons that have led to linking socio-economic status with loneliness in older participants may also produce a relationship between these variables among adolescents. For example, better financial conditions for an adolescent provide greater opportunities (e.g., going to better places, travel, better clothing, etc.), open opportunities for social contact, increase their status in the group, and satisfy the need for social life. In addition, socio-economic status may indirectly affect a student’s loneliness through the quality of family relationships. It is obvious that problems in the family environment are carried into school as well. In fact, some studies (e.g., Lempers, N., 1997) showed that weak economic status affects the marital relationship and the parent-child relationship. A consequence can be more difficult social adaptation, which is associated with feelings of loneliness (Pinquart, M., Sorensen, S., 2001; In: Kozjak, G., 2005).

It is also important to mention the correlation between academic success and loneliness. As for the connection between loneliness and academic performance, A.P. Dobson and colleagues (1987; In: Kozjak, G., 2005) found that students who are lonely pay less attention to school, have more negative reactions to their teachers, and receive worse grades than students who are not lonely. Some other studies (Brennan, T., 1982; In: Kozjak, G., 2005) also found a negative relationship between loneliness and school success. However, such studies are not numerous and are usually conducted on somewhat older adolescents. The following factor that correlates with loneliness is clearly social networks. The concept of a social network typically refers to a network consisting of a specific person and all the people they know or interact with regularly (Andersson, L., 1998). These usually include relatives, friends, colleagues at work, or, in our context, classmates. E. Erikson’s research (1984, In: Andersson, L., 1998) showed that the average adult social network consists of 25 to 40 people, 3 to 6 of whom are close friends. The size and quality of social relationships was one of the most frequent topics in studies of loneliness correlations (Jackson, T., 2000.). Research on the relationship between loneliness and social network size has not produced consistent findings. While some studies showed a negative correlation, in others no such relationship was found (Jones, W.H., 1985; In: Jackson, T., 2000).

Research

Our research focuses on the existence of loneliness among adolescents. The aim of the study was to determine whether loneliness occurs among university and high school students. We also wanted to determine whether there are differences in loneliness levels between adolescents who live at home while studying and adolescents who leave home during their studies. We also focused on the correlation between school success and loneliness.

Research hypotheses Hypothesis 1 – We assumed that adolescents who leave home during their studies will have lower scores on loneliness indicators than adolescents who do not leave home.

We arrived at hypothesis 1 based on research by G. Kozjak (2005), who examined the correlates of loneliness among secondary school students.

Hypothesis 2 – We assumed that among secondary school students there will be a positive relationship between the degree of loneliness and school success.

We arrived at hypothesis no. 2 based on research by A. P. Dobson (1987), who found that students who are lonely pay less attention to school, have more negative responses toward their teachers, and have worse grades than students who are not lonely.

Research sample

The research sample consisted of 292 respondents, who were secondary and university students aged 15 to 25 (Tab. 1). In the research sample, we established the following respondent categories: university students living away from home during study; university students living at home during study; secondary school students living away from home during study; and secondary school students living at home during study. Of the total sample, 178 university students participated. These were university students from Slovak, Serbian, and Czech universities. The total number of respondents from secondary schools was 114. Of the total sample, there were 210 girls and 82 boys.

Tab. 1: Presentation of the sample by age.

Research methodology and research methods

Because loneliness in Slovakia has not been sufficiently studied and no domestic standardized method exists for measuring it, we decided to use the UCLA Loneliness Scale, which is frequently used internationally. The short form of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale) contains 20 items, which are answered on a five-point Likert-type scale (1–5). It proved stable across participant samples of different ages, genders, races, education, and economic status, among others. Cronbach’s alpha reliability of our test is α=0,87. The authors of the UCLA Loneliness Scale are D. Russell and C. A. Curtona (Hupková, M., 2002). It was translated into Slovak and adapted to our conditions by doc. PaedDr. Marianna Hupková, PhD., and translated into Serbian by Bc. Robert Tomšik. We processed the research results using the statistical program SPSS 19. 0. (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). We used descriptive statistics to describe the sample. For statistical analysis we used the Student’s t-test for two independent samples and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, which measures the strength of linear relationships between two quantitative variables in one population.

RESULTS

The research sample consisted of 292 respondents, who were secondary and university students aged 15 to 25 (Tab. 1). Through the graph (Fig. 1) we can see the responses of the participants.

Fig. 1 Loneliness curve in adolescence

The loneliness curve in adolescence has two peaks. The level of loneliness fluctuates below and above the average. The mean response was 51.38 (on a scale from 20 to 100) and the standard deviation was 11.51.

Hypothesis 1

We assumed that students who leave home during study, that is, who live in dormitories or private accommodation, will have lower scores on loneliness indicators than adolescents who live at home during their studies. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, we assessed students’ loneliness levels and divided the results into two groups, at home (students who live at home) and away from home (students who live in dormitories or private accommodation). We used a t-test to detect differences.

Tab. 2: Comparison of students living at home and away from home in loneliness level (UCLA).

Through the table (Tab. 2), we can observe that there is a statistically significant difference between the student groups in total loneliness score (t=2,008; p=0,046). Students who live at home during schooling have higher scores on loneliness indicators. Through these findings we can conclude that the first hypothesis was supported.

Hypothesis 2

We assumed that among secondary school students there would be a negative relationship between loneliness level and school achievement. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, we assessed secondary school students’ loneliness level and the correlation of loneliness scores with school performance. We used Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine correlation.

Tab. 3: Correlation between loneliness level and the achievement of secondary school students.

We assumed there would be a correlation between academic achievement and loneliness such that students with high loneliness scores would have lower school achievement. Using Pearson’s coefficient, we found that the relationship between loneliness and school achievement was neutral (r=0,074). From these findings we can conclude that the second hypothesis was not supported.

Interpretation of results and discussion

The purpose of the study was to verify differences in loneliness level with respect to age, gender, school achievement, and place of residence during school attendance. We hypothesized that there would be statistically significant differences in loneliness among secondary and university students, a difference in loneliness level between men and women, a difference in loneliness level by age, and by place of residence.

In the first hypothesis, we assumed that there is a statistically significant difference in loneliness level and its correlation with where a student lives during school attendance. We assumed that students who live in dormitories or private housing during their attendance at school would have lower loneliness scores than students who live at home. We proceeded from the assumption that students living away from home have more social interactions and social networks than students who do not leave home. In our study conducted on Slovak, Serbian, and Czech university and secondary school students, it was found that students living away from home during school attendance are characterized by lower levels of loneliness than students who live at home. In this study, this hypothesis was supported. There are statistically significant differences between students in the experience of loneliness. We believe that students who do not leave home during school attendance had higher loneliness scores because they have more time to be alone and do not come into contact with other people as often as students living in dormitories or private housing.

Another area we addressed in our study was examining the correlation between loneliness and school success among secondary school students. Based on Dobson’s (1987) study, we hypothesized a negative correlation between loneliness and school success. We assumed that secondary school students with higher scores on the loneliness scale would have lower school success.

We believed that lonely students devote less time to school and school matters than non-lonely students, and that this would be reflected in school performance. Using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, we compared loneliness scale scores and the student’s grade point average from the last semester. Pearson’s correlation coefficient did not indicate a significant correlation between loneliness and school performance. A possible reason may be that our research sample had more respondents of female gender, who generally have higher school performance than boys. We also think that the reason might have been that the research sample included more respondents—secondary school students from student dormitories—where they have exactly designated time to fulfill school obligations, and therefore loneliness did not reflect in school performance. Under such conditions, the hypothesis was not supported, but there is a hint of some relationship.

CONCLUSION

In our research part we dealt with the issue of loneliness among adolescents. The essence of the study was to verify questions concerning loneliness and how loneliness can influence the life of a student. Among the enormous number of areas in which loneliness can manifest, we chose one: education. The reason for choosing education is that it is among the most important factors that influence an individual’s functioning, development, life opportunities, and quality of life in the future. This is very significant because loneliness in an individual also carries consequences and, often, pathological behavior. More specifically, we focused on determining the level of loneliness among students, differences in loneliness experience between women and men, differences in loneliness expression in two age categories, and we wanted to find out how loneliness reflects on a student’s school success.

Through our research, we wanted to point to the seriousness of the occurrence of loneliness among students. It is a phenomenon that is dangerous, threatening a student’s life and therefore also their future. It is very important to understand how loneliness affects a student’s health, what warning signs are, and how we should act in such a situation when we realize that someone is seeking help. This issue has become very topical in recent years, yet it is still addressed by very few people in practice. Therefore, we believe that one should be informed about this topic, because loneliness has a strong influence on personality formation, emotions, and a student’s future life.

Author: Bc. Robert Tomšik Univerzita Konštantína filozofa, Pedagogická fakulta

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