Authors accepted manuscript_Coping paper_MHP_2018 (1).pdf (386.87 kB)
Coping with loneliness at University: A qualitative interview study with students in the UK
journal contribution
posted on 2019-07-18, 15:24 authored by Konstantina Vasileiou, Julie Barnett, Manuela Barreto, John Vines, Mark Atkinson, Kiel Long, Lyndsey Bakewell, Shaun Lawson, Michael WilsonMichael WilsonLeaving home to attend University constitutes a transition that is often characterized by an increased risk of loneliness, a psychological state that predicts poor mental health outcomes. Informed by a comprehensive conceptual framework of coping with stress, this study sought to examine the coping strategies young adults deploy to manage experiences of loneliness whilst studying at University. A qualitative, cross-sectional study was designed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 University students who had moved away from home to study, and who self-identified experiencing loneliness. We used directed qualitative content analysis to analyse the data both between and within participants. The results demonstrate that participants used a variety of coping strategies to manage the distressing experience of loneliness. Accommodation, mainly in the form of distraction, support-seeking, social isolation, self-reliance, and problem-solving behaviours were the most prevalent coping strategies mentioned. Coping reflecting helplessness, escape, submission, and more rarely, opposition, were also found, albeit less often. Students showed evidence of a wide-ranging coping repertoire, with the deployment of specific coping strategies presenting as highly selective and contextual. Strategies for coping with loneliness take into account constraints and opportunities in the environment, the availability and appropriateness of social resources, as well as individual resources and needs.
Funding
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ‘Empathy and Trust in Communicating Online’ (EMoTICON) program, with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI).
History
School
- The Arts, English and Drama
Department
- English and Drama
Published in
Mental Health and PreventionVolume
13Pages
21 - 30Citation
VASILEIOU, K. ... et al, 2018. Coping with loneliness at University: A qualitative interview study with students in the UK. Mental Health and Prevention, 13, pp.21-30.Publisher
© ElsevierVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Mental Health and Prevention and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2018.11.002.Acceptance date
2018-11-26Publication date
2018-11-29ISSN
2212-6570Publisher version
Language
- en