Contribution of perceived loneliness to suicidal thoughts among French university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Restrictive measures during the COVID-19 epidemic have led to increased levels of loneliness, especially among university students, although the influence on suicidal thoughts remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study of 1913 French university students, those with the highest level of loneliness had a fourfold increased risk of suicidal thoughts. Perceived loneliness should be incorporated into suicide risk assessment, and assistance in coping with loneliness should be considered as a means of reducing suicidal risk in vulnerable groups, like university students.

Loneliness across the COVID-19 pandemic: Risk factors in Norwegian young people

“…The unprecedented high levels of loneliness among young adults in higher education seem to be driven largely by the restriction levels which impacted on the formation of normal friendship patterns. This is in line with previous studies which have found higher levels of loneliness among students during lockdown periods in comparison to times with less restrictions ( Macalli et al, 2022 ) The regional differences in loneliness related to the impact may be accounted for by a range of restrictions, both restrictions directly related to being a student, such as campus lock downs and online teaching, but also on more general restrictions on social contact. Still, the dose-response associations between days on campus in 2021, and similarly to online teaching in 2022, raises the potential importance of live face-to-face instruction on student’s loneliness.…”

Prevalence and predictors of suicidality among nursing students in Indonesia

“…Our study found that loneliness acted as a significant predictor of suicidality among nursing students. Consistent with our findings, previous studies have found that loneliness is significantly associated with suicidal behavior among various subgroups, such as the general adult population (Stickley and Koyanagi, 2016), psychiatric patients (Badcock et al, 2021), the elderly (Yang et al, 2021), and university students (Macalli et al, 2022). Loneliness is defined as a state of mind in which individuals perceive a discrepancy between their desired social relationship and their actual experience of it (Macalli et al, 2022).…”

“…Loneliness can be experienced by individuals who perceive themselves as being alone even when surrounded by other people. Lonely individuals have a higher risk of exhibiting suicidal behavior, because suicidal thoughts arise as a result of the simultaneous presence of loneliness and perceived unending suffering (Macalli et al, 2022).…”

“…Items with unfavorable statements (items 2, 5, 6, 8, 9) were scored as follows: 4 (strongly disagree), 3 (disagree), 2 (agree), 1 (strongly agree) (García et al, 2019). The RSES has a total score between 10-40, based on which, self-esteem can be categorized into 3 levels: low (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), moderate (26)(27)(28)(29), and high (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40) self-esteem (García et al, 2019). The Indonesian version of the RSES has been validated in a previous study and has high internal reliability -as indicated by Cronbach's α = 0.875 (Kaloeti and Ardhiani, 2020).…”

Promoting Connection in the Faith Community Through Letter Writing

“…In younger adults, problems such as sleep disorders, weight problems, and substance use are correlated with loneliness (The CIGNA Group, 2023). Higher rates of depression, suicide, and anxiety are correlated with social isolation and loneliness in younger adults (Macalli et al, 2022). Between 2007 and 2017, drug-related deaths soared by 108% among adults ages 18 to 34, alcohol-related deaths increased by 69%, and suicides rose by 35% (Trust for America's Health, aydinmutlu / Getty Images 2019).…”