Existentially Alone in College: First‑Generation Status, Existential Isolation, and Help‑Seeking Intentions

Existential isolation (EI) is the sense of being alone in one’s subjective experience. People with chronic EI may give up on asking others for help when confronting life challenges. We examined this in first-generation college students (i.e., whose parents did not complete college) compared to continuing-generation peers (i.e., whose parents completed college). First-generation students reported higher EI than continuing-generation students. EI, in turn, was associated with weaker intentions to seek academic help. These findings suggest that first-generation college students are at risk of experiencing EI, which may have downstream consequences for their willingness to seek academic help when needed.