The Relationship Between Loneliness and Academic Stress: The Mediating Role of Lack of Academic Organization Among Social Work Students in Chile

The study of loneliness and academic stress is a priority area in university research, given their impact on student well-being, retention in higher education, and academic performance. In Chile, with respect to Social Work education, these phenomena acquire relevance, given that students simultaneously face high curricular demands and professional training practices in contexts of social vulnerability. In this context, a lack of academic organization may contribute to the perception of overload and limit students’ academic coping strategies. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between loneliness, lack of academic organization, and academic stress among Social Work students in Chile. A total of 298 students from nine public and private universities participated, with an average age of 21.74 years (SD = 3.47). The results, obtained through a structural equation model, confirmed that the relationship between loneliness and academic stress was partially mediated by a lack of academic organization; however, the direct association between loneliness and academic stress represented the strongest effect within the model. Likewise, positive direct effects were observed among the three variables. Taken together, these findings reinforce the need to design educational and institutional strategies oriented at promoting student well-being, thereby strengthening the perception of professional preparedness among future social workers.