Abstract

This study examines the relationship between subjective well-being and social and emotional loneliness of university students through the meaning and purpose of life. The participants of the study consisted of the 477 university students, who study at the Faculty of Education. Three hundred and seven of them were females and 170 of them were males. The age of the participants ranged between 18 and 33. The data used in the study were collected using the satisfaction with life scale, the positive and negative affect scale, the meaning and purpose of life scale, and the social and emotional loneliness scale. Data were analyzed using correlation and path analyses. The results of the correlation analyses showed that there were significant relationships between the variables of subjective well-being, social and emotional loneliness and the meaning and purpose of life. Likewise, the findings of path analyses revealed that social and emotional loneliness significantly predicted subjective well-being through the meaning and purpose of life. 

Keywords

References

• Abeyta, A.A., Routledge, C., & Sedikides, C. (2016). Material meaning: Narcissists gain existential benefits from extrinsic goals. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 8(2), 219-228. 7
• Adamczyk, K. (2016). An investigation of loneliness and perceived social support among single and partnered young adults. Current Psychology: A Journal For Diverse Perspectives On Diverse Psychological Issues, 35(4), 674–689. https ://doi.org/10.1007/s1214 4-015-9337-7
• Aliche, J.C., Ifeagwazi, C.M., Onyishi, I.E., & Mefoh, P.C. (2019). Presence of meaning in life mediates the relations between social support, posttraumatic growth, and resilience in young adult survivors of a terror attack. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 24(8), 736-749. https ://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2019.1624416
• Altıparmak, D. (2019). Mediating effect of self-compassion in relationship of life purpose, life meaning and well-being of teachers (Unpublished master’s thesis). İstanbul Sabahattin Zaim University.
• Aydın, C., Kaya, M., & Peker, M. (2015). Meaning and purpose of life scale: The study of its validity and reliability. Ondokuz Mayıs University, Review of the Faculty of Divinit, 38, 39-55.
• Boullion, G. Q., Pavlacic, J. M., Schulenberg, S. E., Buchanan, E. M., & Steger, M. F. (2020). Meaning, social support, and resilience as predictors of posttraumatic growth: A study of the Louisiana flooding of August 2016. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90(5), 578–585. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000464
• Buss, D.M. (1990). The evolution of anxiety and social exclusion. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(2), 196-201. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1990.9.2.196
• Brown, T. A. (2015). Methodology in the social sciences. Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
• Chang, E. C., Chang, O. D., Martos, T., Sallay, V., Lee, J., Stam, K. R., ... & Yu, T. (2017). Family support as a moderator of the relationship between loneliness and suicide risk in college students: having a supportive family matters!. The Family Journal, 25(3), 257-263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480717711102
• Chang, E. C., Chang, O. D., Lucas, A. G., Li, M., Beavan, C. B., Eisner, R. S., McManamon, B. M., Rodriguez, N. S., Katamanin, O. M., Bourke, E. C., de la Fuente, A., Cardeñoso, O., Wu, K., Yu, E. A., Jeglic, E. L., & Hirsch, J. K. (2019). Depression, loneliness, and suicide risk among Latino college students: A test of a psychosocial interaction model. Social Work, 64(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy052
• Cohen, K., & Cairns, D. (2011). Is searching for meaning in life associated with reduced subjective well-being? Confirmation and possible moderators. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(2), 313-331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9265-7
• Çeçen, A.R. (2007). The Turkish short version of the social and emotional loneliness scale for adults (SELSA-S): Initial development and validation, Social Behavior and Personality, 35 (6), 717-734. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2007.35.6.717
• Da Luz Vale Dias, M., & Sant'Anna Dos Santos Vera, J. (2020). Meaning in life, subjective well-being and spiritual well-being in Portuguese and Brazilian young people. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD de Psicología. https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2020.n1.v2.1847
• Diehl K., Jansen C., Ishchanova K., & Hilger-Kolb J. (2018). Loneliness at Universities: Determinants of emotional and social loneliness among students. International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, 15(9) 1865. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15091865
• Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.34
• DiTommaso, E., Brannen, C., & Best, L. A. (2004). Measurement and validity characteristics of the short version of the social an emotional loneliness scale for adults. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64(1), 99–119. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0013164403258450
• Domagała-Krecioch, A., & Majerek, B. (2014). The issue of loneliness in the period of emerging adulthood. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 9 (10). https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2013.v9n10p%25p
• Doğan, T., Sapmaz, F., Tel, F. D., Sapmaz, S., & Temizel, S. (2012). Meaning in life and subjective well-being among Turkish university students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 55, 612-617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.543
• Emmons, R. A. (1999). The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality. Guilford Press.
• Emmons, R. A. (2005). Striving for The Sacred: Personal goals, life meaning and religion. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4), 731-745. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00429.x
• Fraenkel, J.R., Wallen, N.E., & Hyun, H.H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (Eight Edition). McGraw-Hill.
• Frankl, V.E. (1963). Man's search for meaning: an introduction to logotherapy. Washington Square Press.
• Fry, P. S. (1998). The development of personal meaning and wisdom in adolescence: A reexamination of moderating and consolidating factors and influences. In P. T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications (p. 91–110). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
• Galang, M. J. A., Magno, C., Paterno, V. C., & Roldan, A. E. (2011). Meaning in life, flow and subjective well-being: A perspective on Filipino high school students. Phillipine Journal of Counselling Psychology, 13(1), 29-45.
• García-Alandete, J. (2015). Does meaning in life predict psychological well being? The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 3(2), 89-98.
• Geçtan, E. (2004). Varoluş ve psikiyatri [Existence and psychiatry]. İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
• Gençöz, T. (2000). Positive and negative affect scale: Validity and reliability study. Turkish Journal of Psychology, 15(46), 19-26.
• Hair, J. F., Anderson R. E., Tahtam, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson Education.
• Heng, M. A., Fulmer, G. W., Blau, I., & Pereira, A. (2020). Youth purpose, meaning in life, social support and life satisfaction among adolescents in Singapore and Israel. Journal of Educational Change, 21(2), 299-322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-020-09381-4
• Ho, M. Y., Cheung, F. M., & Cheung, S. F. (2008). Personality and life events as predictors of adolescents’ life satisfaction: Do life events mediate the link between personality and life satisfaction? Social Indicators Research, 89(3), 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9243-6
• Itzick, M., Kagan, M., & Ben-Ezra, M. (2018). Social worker characteristics associated with perceived meaning in life. Journal of Social Work, 18(3), 326-347. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1468017316654345
• Kılınç, G., Aylaz, R., Güneş, G., & Harmancı, P. (2020). The relationship between depression and loneliness levels of the students at the faculty of health sciences and the factors affecting them. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(2), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12452
• Kiang, L., & Fuligni, A. J. (2010). Meaning in life as a mediator of ethnic identity and adjustment among adolescents from Latin, Asian, and European American backgrounds. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(11), 1253–1264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9475-z
• Kleftaras, G., & Psarra, E. (2012). Meaning in life, psychological well being and depressive symptomatology: A Comparative Study Psychology, 3(4), 337-345. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.34048
• Kline, R. B. (2011). Methodology in the social sciences. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
• Krause, N. (2007). Longitudinal study of social support and meaning in life. Psychology and Aging, 22(3), 456–469. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.22.3.456
• Krok, D., & Gerymski, R. (2019). Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between meaning in life and subjective well-being in cardiac patients, Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 7(3), 242-251. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2019.89168
• Lambert, N. M., Stillman, T. F., Hicks, J. A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R. F., & Fincham, F. D. (2013). To belong is to matter: Sense of belonging enhances meaning in life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(11), 1418–1427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186
• Lee, Y., & Bierman, A. (2019). Loneliness as a mediator of perceived discrimination and depression: Examining education contingencies. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 89(2), 206-227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415018763402
• Lent, R. W. (2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 482–509. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0167.51.4.482
• Li, J.-B., Dou, K., & Liang, Y. (2020). The relationship between presence of meaning, search for meaning, and subjective well-being: A three-level meta-analysis based on the meaning in life questionnaire. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1-23. https://10.1007/s10902-020-00230-y
• Lin, Y., Xiao, H., Lan, X., Wen, S., & Bao, S. (2020). Living arrangements and life satisfaction: Mediation by social support and meaning in life. BMC Geriatrics, 20, 136. https://10.1186/s12877-020-01541-8
• Luhmann, M., & Hawkley, L. C. (2016). Age differences in loneliness from late adolescence to oldest old age. Developmental Psychology, 52(6), 943–959. https://10.1037/dev0000117
• Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company.
• Moeller, R.W., & Seehuus, M. (2019). Loneliness as a mediator for college students' social skills and experiences of depression and anxiety. Journal of Adolescence. https://10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.03.006
• Morgan, J., & Fastides, T. (2009). Measuring meaning in life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(2), 197-214.
• Musiat, P., Potterton, R., Gordon, G., Spencer, L., Zeiler, M., Waldherr, K., et al. (2018). Web-based indicated prevention of common mental disorders in university students in four European countries – study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Internet Interventions, 16, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. invent.2018.02.004
• Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, L., Ge, T., Chong, M., Ferguson, M.A., Misic, B., Burrow, A.L., Leahy, R.M., & Spreng, R.N. (2019). Loneliness and meaning in life are reflected in the intrinsic network architecture of the brain. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 14(4), 423–433. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsz021
• Qualter, P., Vanhalst, J., Harris, R., Van Roekel, E., Lodder, G., Bangee, M., et al. (2015). Loneliness across the life span. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 250–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615568999
• Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College students: Mental health problems and treatment considerations. Academic psychiatry: The journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry, 39(5), 503–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9
• Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Perspective on loneliness. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman(Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (pp. 1-18). John Wiley and Sons.
• Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727
• Reker, G. T., & Wong, P. T. P. (1988). Aging as an individual process: Toward a theory of personal meaning. In J. E. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 214–246). Springer.
• Salo, A. E., Junttila, N., & Vauras, M. (2020). Social and emotional loneliness: Longitudinal stability, interdependence, and intergenerational transmission among boys and girls. Family Relations, 69(1), 151-165. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12398
• Schlossberg, N. K., Waters, E. B., & Goodman, J. (1995). Counseling Adults in Transition Linking Practice with Theory; Springer.
• Schreiber, J. B., Nora, A., Stage, F. K., Barlow, E. A., & King, J. (2006). Reporting Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results: A Review. Journal of Educational Research, 99, 323-338.
• https://doi.org/10.3200/JOER.99.6.323-338
• Steger, M. F. (2009). Meaning in life. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford library of psychology. Oxford handbook of positive psychology (pp. 679–687). Oxford University Press.
• Steger, M. F., Oishi, S., & Kesebir, S. (2011). Is a life without meaning satisfying? The moderating role of the search for meaning in satisfaction with life judgments. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(3), 173 180. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2011.569171
• Steger, M. F. (2012). An illustration of issues in factor extraction and identification of dimensionality in psychological assessment data. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86(3), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8603_03
• Steger, M. F., & Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: One link in the chain from religiousness to well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(4), 574–582. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.4.574
• Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80
• Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B., Sullivan, B. A., & Lorentz, D. (2008). Understanding the search for meaning in life: Personality, cognitive style, and the dynamic between seeking and experiencing meaning. Journal of Personality, 76, 199–228. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00484.x
• Steptoe, A., & Fancourt, D. (2019). Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(4), 1207-1212. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814723116
• Stillman, T. F., Baumeister, R. F., Lambert, N.M., Crescioni, A. W., DeWall, C. N., & Fincham, F. D. (2009). Alone and without purpose: Life loses meaning following social exclusion, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(4), 686-694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.03.007
• Stillman T. F., & Lambert, N. M. (2013) The bidirectional relationship of meaning and belonging. In Hicks J., Routledge C. (Eds) The experience of meaning in life (pp. 305-315). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6527-6_23
• Şahin, M., Aydın, B., Sarı, S. V., Kaya, S., & Pala, H. (2012). The role of hope and meaning in life in explaining subjective well-being. Kastamonu Education Journal, 20(3), 827-836.
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson, Boston.
• Taş, İ. (2011). The search of meaning of life, life satisfaction, social comparison and internal-external locus control in terms of different variants. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Sakarya University.
• Tomsik, R. (2015). Relationship of loneliness and meaning of life among adolescents. Current Trends in Educational Science and Practice, 8, 1-10.
• Tuzgöl-Dost, M. (2005). Developing a subjective well-being scale: Validity and reliability studies. The Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 3(23), 103-110.
• Utz, R.L., Swenson, K.L., Caserta, M., Lund, D., & deVries, B. (2014). Feeling lonely versus being alone: loneliness and social support among recently bereaved persons. The Journals of Gerontology Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 69(1), 85-94. https://10.1093/geronb/gbt075
• Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 1063–1070.
• Weiss, R. S. (1973). Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Weiten, W., Dunn, D. S., & Hammer, E. Y. (2015). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century. Cengage: Wadsworth.
• Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review, 55, 209–223.
• Womick, J., Atherton, B., & King, L.A. (2020). Lives of significance (and purpose and coherence): subclinical narcissism, meaning in life, and subjective well-being, Heliyon, 6(5), e03982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03982
• Wong, P. T. (1998). Meaning-centered counseling. In Paul T. Wong, P.S. Fry Newjersey (Eds.). The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications (pp. 395-435). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
• Yalom, I. D. (2011). Existential psychotherapy. Hachette.
• Yavuzer, Y., Albayrak, G., & Kılıçarslan, S. (2019). Relationships amongst aggression, self-theory, loneliness, and depression in emerging adults. Psychological Reports, 122(4), 1235-1258. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294118784866
• Yeung, J.W.K., & Fan, C.P.S. (2013). Being socially isolated is a matter of subjectivity: The mediator of life meaning and moderator of religiosity, Revista De Cercetare Sı Interventıe Sociala, 42, 204-227.
• YouGov. (2016). One in four students suffer from mental health problems. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2016/08/09/quarter-britains-students-are-afflicted-mental-hea
• You, S., & Lim, S.A. (2018). Religious orientation and subjective well-being: The mediating role of meaning in life, Journal of Psychology and Theology, 47(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0091647118795180
• Zika, S., & Chamberlain, K. (1992). On the relation between meaning in life and psychological well-being. British Journal of Psychology, 83(1), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1992.tb02429.x

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.