The UCLA Loneliness Scale was developed to assess subjective feelings of loneliness or social isolation. Items for the original version of the scale were based on statements used by lonely individuals to describe feelings of loneliness (Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978). The questions were all worded in a negative or “lonely” direction, with individuals indicating how often they felt the way described on a four point scale that ranged from “never’ to “often.” Due to concerns about how the negative wording of the items may have affected scores (i.e., response sets), a revised version of the scale was developed and published in 1980 that included 10 items worded in a negative or lonely direction and 10 items worded in a positive or non-lonely direction (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980). Recently, Version 3 of the UCLA Loneliness Scale has been published (Russell, 1996). In this most recent version of the scale, the wording of the items and the response format has been simplified to facilitate administration of the measure to less educated populations, such as the elderly.
The UCLA Loneliness Scale has clearly become the most widely used measure of loneliness, with over 500 citations in the Social Science Citation Index of the 1980 publication on the measure. Scores on the loneliness scale have been found to predict a wide variety of mental (i.e., depression) and physical (i.e., immuncompetence, nursing home admission, mortality) health outcomes in our research and the research of others.
EVALUATION OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TURKEY GüNSELI˙ GI˙RGI˙N Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting loneliness and hopelessness among university students in Turkey. Data were collected with the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980), the Beck Hopelessness Inventory (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1971), and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. One hundred and ninety-six people took part in the study. Results showed that the male participants suffered from loneliness and hopelessness more frequently. They liked the university environment, but the limited number of friends and parental attitudes contributed considerably to hopelessness. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the severity of loneliness and the severity of hopelessness. Keywords: hopelessness, loneliness, university students, university environment. Students have to cope with many problems while at university. According to prior research, university students have psychological, social, and sexual problems (Baysal & Buluş, 2001; Gizir, 2005; Wechsler, Rohman, & Solomon, 1991). In addition, they have problems with ego, identity development, and their relationships with others. Students are worried about their future employment status (Şahin, Sezgin, Taş, & Rugancı, 1989). Students who must move to cities where there are universities are especially likely to suffer from loneliness in the new environment (Sawir, Marginson, Deumert, Nyland, & Ramia, 2007). Loneliness is an unsatisfactory, subjective, and psychological state occurring as SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY, 2009, 37(6), 811-818 Society for Personality Research (Inc.) DOI 10.2224/sbp.2009.37.6.811 811 Günseli Girgin, PhD, Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey. Appreciation is due to anonymous reviewers. Please address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Günseli Girgin, PhD, Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey. Phone: +90 232 420 4882; Email: gunseli.girgin@deu.edu.tr
LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS812 a result of inconsistency between the person’s existing social relations and the relations s/he aspires to (Ponzetti, 1990). Loneliness is a feeling resulting from perceived social network of relations when it is smaller or less satisfactory than what s/he wishes to have (Peplau & Perlman, 1979). Loneliness is positively related to feeling depressed, abandoned, empty, hopeless, isolated, self-enclosed, nonsociable, and dissatisfied (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980). Loneliness may be experienced emotionally as isolation from intimate relationships with family members or peers (Weiss, 1974). In several studies it has been found that socio- demographic variables such as gender, age, and marital status are predictors for loneliness (Kim, 2001; Pinquart, 2003). Hopelessness is defined as a negative expectation about the future, i.e., pessimism (Kashani, Stoyls, Dandoy, Vaidya, & Reid, 1991). Hopelessness may cause individuals to feel that they can never overcome failures. They believe that they can never solve their problems, they interpret events in their lives negatively without a logical reason, and they anticipate undesirable consequences without making any attempt to reach their objectives (Beck, 1963). The aim of this study was to determine what the factors which affect loneliness and hopelessness among university students in Turkey are. METHOD PARTICIPANTS This was a descriptive study conducted with 196 volunteer students majoring in primary education in the Education Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir, Turkey in the spring term of the 2007/2008 academic year. There were 170 (87%) female students, and 26 (13%) were male, 33 (17%) were 19 years old, 68 (35%) were 20 years old, and 95 (48%) were 21 years old. Fifty-three students were living with their families and 143 were living in hostels. INSTRUMENTS Data were collected using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The UCLA Loneliness Scale This is a 4-point scale composed of 20 items developed to determine frequency of loneliness perceived by the individual (Russell et al., 1980). The adaptation of the scale into Turkish was carried out by Demir in 1989. Scores range from 20 to 80. High scores indicate more severe loneliness. The Beck Hopelessness Scale This is a self-report scale developed by Beck, Weissman, Lester, and Trexler (1971) and consists of 20 true/false items. The adaptation of the scale into Turkish was performed by Durak (1994) and Durak
LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS 813 and Palabıyıkoğlu (1994). The scale reveals negative expectations. The scores which could be obtained from the scale range from 0-20. Questionnaire developed by the researcher This was developed to collect data about gender, attitudes towards the university environment, number of close friends, and perceived parental attitudes. Statistical analyses of obtained results were carried out with t test and ANOVA. RESULTS TABLE 1 DISTRIBUTION OF HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS SCORES BY GENDER Gender M SD t p Hopelessness Female 3.405 3.906 -2.610 .01* Male 5.769 6.351 Loneliness Female 32.635 8.698 -2.616 .01* Male 37.56 9.390 n = Female: 170; Male: 26 There was a significant difference in mean scores for the male and female students for hopelessness (p < .05) and also a significant difference in mean scores for male and female students for loneliness (p < .05). TABLE 2 DISTRIBUTION OF T TEST RESULTS CONCERNING LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS BY STUDENTS LIKING AND NOT LIKING THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT University environment M SD t p Hopelessness Yes 3.161 3.371 -2.753 .006* No 4.978 5.318 Loneliness Yes 31.892 8.330 -4.020 .000** No 37.717 9.391 n = Yes: 150; No: 46 There was a significant difference between the scores of the students who liked the university environment and those who did not like the university environment for both loneliness (p < .001) and hopelessness (p < .05). Those who enjoyed the university environment suffered less frequently from hopelessness and loneliness. LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS814 TABLE 3 DISTRIBUTION OF T TEST RESULTS FOR HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS BY NUMBER OF CLOSE FRIENDS Number of close friends n M SD F p Hopelessness 1 friend 4 4.00 4.760 .519 .722 2 friends 17 3.437 4.992 3 friends 45 4.000 4.045 4 friends 37 4.447 5.764 5 and more 93 3.733 3.733 Loneliness 1 friend 4 41.500 12.151 4.860 .001* 2 friends 17 38.875 10.177 3 friends 45 35.266 8.571 4 friends 37 33.216 8.069 5 and more 93 31.000 8.357 Table 3 shows the distribution of t test results for loneliness and hopelessness by the number of close friends. There was a significant difference between the number of close friends and loneliness scores (p < .05). In fact, the differences between the students having one close friend and those having more than 5 friends (Tukey: -10.5); between the students having two close friends and those having at least five friends (Tukey: -7.875); and between the students having 2 friends and those having at least 5 close friends (Tukey: -5.658) were significant. The luckiest ones were those having more than 5 friends. TABLE 4 DISTRIBUTION OF SCORES FOR HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS BY PERCEIVED PARENTAL ATTITUDES Parental attitude n M SD F p Hopelessness Authoritarian 13 6.692 7.652 3.199 .014* Perfectionist 28 3.178 3.127 Insensitive 6 7.666 3.265 Permissive 2 2.500 .707 Democratic 147 3.415 4.104 Loneliness Authoritarian 13 35.916 6.855 4.907 .001* Perfectionist 28 38.892 10.181 Insensitive 6 37.00 10.936 Permissive 2 38.50 7.778 Democratic 147 31.755 8.281 …
The UCLA Loneliness Scale has clearly become the most widely used measure of loneliness, with over 500 citations in the Social Science Citation Index of the 1980 publication on the measure. Scores on the loneliness scale have been found to predict a wide variety of mental (i.e., depression) and physical (i.e., immuncompetence, nursing home admission, mortality) health outcomes in our research and the research of others.
EVALUATION OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TURKEY GüNSELI˙ GI˙RGI˙N Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting loneliness and hopelessness among university students in Turkey. Data were collected with the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980), the Beck Hopelessness Inventory (Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1971), and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. One hundred and ninety-six people took part in the study. Results showed that the male participants suffered from loneliness and hopelessness more frequently. They liked the university environment, but the limited number of friends and parental attitudes contributed considerably to hopelessness. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the severity of loneliness and the severity of hopelessness. Keywords: hopelessness, loneliness, university students, university environment. Students have to cope with many problems while at university. According to prior research, university students have psychological, social, and sexual problems (Baysal & Buluş, 2001; Gizir, 2005; Wechsler, Rohman, & Solomon, 1991). In addition, they have problems with ego, identity development, and their relationships with others. Students are worried about their future employment status (Şahin, Sezgin, Taş, & Rugancı, 1989). Students who must move to cities where there are universities are especially likely to suffer from loneliness in the new environment (Sawir, Marginson, Deumert, Nyland, & Ramia, 2007). Loneliness is an unsatisfactory, subjective, and psychological state occurring as SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY, 2009, 37(6), 811-818 Society for Personality Research (Inc.) DOI 10.2224/sbp.2009.37.6.811 811 Günseli Girgin, PhD, Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey. Appreciation is due to anonymous reviewers. Please address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Günseli Girgin, PhD, Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey. Phone: +90 232 420 4882; Email: gunseli.girgin@deu.edu.tr
LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS812 a result of inconsistency between the person’s existing social relations and the relations s/he aspires to (Ponzetti, 1990). Loneliness is a feeling resulting from perceived social network of relations when it is smaller or less satisfactory than what s/he wishes to have (Peplau & Perlman, 1979). Loneliness is positively related to feeling depressed, abandoned, empty, hopeless, isolated, self-enclosed, nonsociable, and dissatisfied (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980). Loneliness may be experienced emotionally as isolation from intimate relationships with family members or peers (Weiss, 1974). In several studies it has been found that socio- demographic variables such as gender, age, and marital status are predictors for loneliness (Kim, 2001; Pinquart, 2003). Hopelessness is defined as a negative expectation about the future, i.e., pessimism (Kashani, Stoyls, Dandoy, Vaidya, & Reid, 1991). Hopelessness may cause individuals to feel that they can never overcome failures. They believe that they can never solve their problems, they interpret events in their lives negatively without a logical reason, and they anticipate undesirable consequences without making any attempt to reach their objectives (Beck, 1963). The aim of this study was to determine what the factors which affect loneliness and hopelessness among university students in Turkey are. METHOD PARTICIPANTS This was a descriptive study conducted with 196 volunteer students majoring in primary education in the Education Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir, Turkey in the spring term of the 2007/2008 academic year. There were 170 (87%) female students, and 26 (13%) were male, 33 (17%) were 19 years old, 68 (35%) were 20 years old, and 95 (48%) were 21 years old. Fifty-three students were living with their families and 143 were living in hostels. INSTRUMENTS Data were collected using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The UCLA Loneliness Scale This is a 4-point scale composed of 20 items developed to determine frequency of loneliness perceived by the individual (Russell et al., 1980). The adaptation of the scale into Turkish was carried out by Demir in 1989. Scores range from 20 to 80. High scores indicate more severe loneliness. The Beck Hopelessness Scale This is a self-report scale developed by Beck, Weissman, Lester, and Trexler (1971) and consists of 20 true/false items. The adaptation of the scale into Turkish was performed by Durak (1994) and Durak
LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS 813 and Palabıyıkoğlu (1994). The scale reveals negative expectations. The scores which could be obtained from the scale range from 0-20. Questionnaire developed by the researcher This was developed to collect data about gender, attitudes towards the university environment, number of close friends, and perceived parental attitudes. Statistical analyses of obtained results were carried out with t test and ANOVA. RESULTS TABLE 1 DISTRIBUTION OF HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS SCORES BY GENDER Gender M SD t p Hopelessness Female 3.405 3.906 -2.610 .01* Male 5.769 6.351 Loneliness Female 32.635 8.698 -2.616 .01* Male 37.56 9.390 n = Female: 170; Male: 26 There was a significant difference in mean scores for the male and female students for hopelessness (p < .05) and also a significant difference in mean scores for male and female students for loneliness (p < .05). TABLE 2 DISTRIBUTION OF T TEST RESULTS CONCERNING LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS BY STUDENTS LIKING AND NOT LIKING THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT University environment M SD t p Hopelessness Yes 3.161 3.371 -2.753 .006* No 4.978 5.318 Loneliness Yes 31.892 8.330 -4.020 .000** No 37.717 9.391 n = Yes: 150; No: 46 There was a significant difference between the scores of the students who liked the university environment and those who did not like the university environment for both loneliness (p < .001) and hopelessness (p < .05). Those who enjoyed the university environment suffered less frequently from hopelessness and loneliness. LONELINESS AND HOPELESSNESS814 TABLE 3 DISTRIBUTION OF T TEST RESULTS FOR HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS BY NUMBER OF CLOSE FRIENDS Number of close friends n M SD F p Hopelessness 1 friend 4 4.00 4.760 .519 .722 2 friends 17 3.437 4.992 3 friends 45 4.000 4.045 4 friends 37 4.447 5.764 5 and more 93 3.733 3.733 Loneliness 1 friend 4 41.500 12.151 4.860 .001* 2 friends 17 38.875 10.177 3 friends 45 35.266 8.571 4 friends 37 33.216 8.069 5 and more 93 31.000 8.357 Table 3 shows the distribution of t test results for loneliness and hopelessness by the number of close friends. There was a significant difference between the number of close friends and loneliness scores (p < .05). In fact, the differences between the students having one close friend and those having more than 5 friends (Tukey: -10.5); between the students having two close friends and those having at least five friends (Tukey: -7.875); and between the students having 2 friends and those having at least 5 close friends (Tukey: -5.658) were significant. The luckiest ones were those having more than 5 friends. TABLE 4 DISTRIBUTION OF SCORES FOR HOPELESSNESS AND LONELINESS BY PERCEIVED PARENTAL ATTITUDES Parental attitude n M SD F p Hopelessness Authoritarian 13 6.692 7.652 3.199 .014* Perfectionist 28 3.178 3.127 Insensitive 6 7.666 3.265 Permissive 2 2.500 .707 Democratic 147 3.415 4.104 Loneliness Authoritarian 13 35.916 6.855 4.907 .001* Perfectionist 28 38.892 10.181 Insensitive 6 37.00 10.936 Permissive 2 38.50 7.778 Democratic 147 31.755 8.281 …
UCLA LONELINESS SCALE
Indicate how often each of the statements below is descriptive of you. Circle one letter for each statement:
O -- "I often feel this way"
S -- "I sometimes feel this way"
R -- "I rarely feel this way"
N -- "I never feel this way"
• How often do you feel unhappy doing so many things alone? OSRN
• How often do you feel you have nobody to talk to? OSRN
• How often do you feel you cannot tolerate being so alone? OSRN
• How often do you feel as if nobody really understands you? OSRN
• How often do you find yourself waiting for people to call or write? OSRN
• How often do you feel completely alone? OSRN
• How often do you feel you are unable to reach out and communicate with those around you? OSRN
• How often do you feel starved for company? OSRN
• How often do you feel it is difficult for you to make friends? OSRN
• How often do you feel shut out and excluded by others? OSRN
ADD UP YOUR SCORE
4 for each O, 3 for S, 2 for R, 1 for N
Scores between 15 and 20 are considered a normal experience of loneliness. Scores above 30 indicate a person is experiencing severe loneliness
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