Loneliness among international students in the UK

Abstract

This small scale mixed methods study aims to explore loneliness in an international student population in a single university. Further, to explore the relationship of loneliness in an international student to international student support service use. Design:A convergent parallel mixed method design. An online Jong Gierveld loneliness scale with some additional demographics provided the quantitative data on loneliness in international student population.The qualitative semi-structured interviews explored what the participants themselves said about their experience of loneliness. Findings:The online Jong Gierveld loneliness scale provides some evidence of high levels of loneliness, three out of four, across the international student sample with no single subgroup or population group identified as lonelier. The quantitative data shows a negative relationship between loneliness and the number of international experience team service used (Rho (56)+-.52 p< o.01). This data also showed that although knowledge of such services was high 30% of this sample chose not to use them as a result of events being full of too many strangers, or not feeling confident going as well as course work and part time employment pressures. The interviews provide evidence of the loneliness at the beginning on arrival, as might be expected, with participants talking about isolating themselves and talking to friends and family back home. For some this was not just an arrival issue but continued throughout their time in the UK and became more prominent when social situations changed such as people they had got to know moving or leaving. In addition, the qualitative data illustrates international student support service use as an important means of expanding social networks and having plans but also how for some 'being lost in a crowd' can be a barrier to attending. Research implications:This study provides support for understanding the scale of loneliness in international students in the UK and as such for loneliness and tackling loneliness to be part of healthy university and university wellbeing agendas. The empirical data supports the role of international student support service use in helping students deal with loneliness and identifies some barriers to use of such services.Originality/value: One of small number of studies looking at loneliness in international students in the UK and one of few using a loneliness scale alongside qualitative data.

Student loneliness through the pandemic: How, why and where?

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Relationships of Leisure Social Support and Flow with Loneliness in International Students in Taiwan: Implications during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…International students need to adapt to new social norms to interact effectively with people in the host country and develop new social connections within the new culture they encounter to rebuild identities and create new social networks (Lin & Kingminghae, 2014;Suprapto et al, 2019). For these students, their life in a new country is generally stressful, and they usually experience some degree of loneliness (Tsai et al, 2017;Wawera & McCamley, 2020), which refers to negative feelings of social isolation when people perceive deficiencies in the quantity and quality of their social interactions (Jiang et al, 2018). Because high levels of loneliness correlate strongly with high levels of anxiety and depression and low levels of university satisfaction in international students (Imai, 2017;Misirlis et al, 2020), addressing loneliness is important to improve their mental health and well-being.…”

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