COVID-19 anxiety predicts loneliness among university students: the mediating roles of mattering, fear of not mattering, and anti-mattering

The current study evaluated the association between COVID-19 anxiety and loneliness among university students, as well as to investigate whether mattering, anti-mattering, and fear of not mediate this association. The study involved 450 university students from Canada, Russia, and Iran, consisting of 390 women and 60 men. Results of the correlational analysis, revealed that COVID-19 anxiety was positively correlated with loneliness (<i>r</i> = .48, <i>p < .01</i>), anti-mattering (<i>r</i> = .44, <i>p < .01</i>), and fear of not mattering (<i>r</i> = .46<i>, p < .01</i>), and negatively correlated with mattering (<i>r</i> = -0.20, <i>p < .01</i>). Conversely, mattering was negatively correlated with anti-mattering (<i>r</i> = -0.44, <i>p < .01</i>), and fear of not mattering (<i>r</i> = -0.23, <i>p < .01</i>). Regarding mediation analysis, the findings revealed that mattering, anti-mattering, and fear of not mattering mediated the association between COVID-19 anxiety and loneliness among university students. The results of the current study highlight the importance of enhancing individuals' sense of mattering as a protective factor that can reduce the impact of psychological stress and anxiety associated with pandemic and the likelihood of engaging in maladaptive behaviors. This can prevent individuals from engaging in maladaptive behaviors, such as loneliness, addiction, and the use of negative coping strategies to deal with stressful events.