Wellness and Psychological Flexibility as Predictors of Loneliness in University Students During COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 COVID-19 Pandemic, first seen in China in 2019, has directly affected the daily life practices of individuals, and an understanding that emphasizes isolation rather than socialization has become dominant in the world. With the COVID-19 Pandemic, loneliness among young people has become more visible. This study examined social and emotional loneliness among college students in relation to wellness and psychological flexibility. A total of 498 university students participated in the study (F= 395; M= 103). One-way ANOVA, MANOVA, and hierarchical regression analysis were used. According to the results of the study, the mean social loneliness scores of men were significantly higher than the mean social loneliness scores of women, and the mean emotional loneliness scores of those whose romantic relationships ended during the COVID-19 Pandemic period were significantly higher than those whose romantic relationships continued. While meaningfulness of life and goal orientation, physical wellness, and social wellness sub-dimensions of wellness, values and behaviors consistent with values, and acceptance sub-dimension of psychological flexibility significantly predicted social loneliness, meaningfulness of life and goal orientation, social wellness sub-dimensions of wellness, and acceptance sub-dimension of psychological flexibility were found to be significant predictors of emotional loneliness.