Social Support and Loneliness Among Students Living Away from Home
Abstract
Transitioning to university life and moving away from home presents significant psychological challenges for migrant students, often triggering emotional vulnerability and loneliness due to a gap between desired and actual social relationships. This study investigates the influence of social support on loneliness among migrant students. Grounded in Weiss’s interactional theory of loneliness, it is hypothesized that social support has a significant negative effect on loneliness, meaning that higher perceived social support leads to lower levels of loneliness. Using a quantitative associative and correlational design, data were collected from 136 migrant students in the 2022 cohort, selected through purposive sampling. Instruments included the Social Support Scale and the Loneliness Scale, adapted from established theoretical frameworks. Simple linear regression analysis revealed a strong correlation (R = 0.580) and confirmed that social support significantly predicts loneliness (F = 68.261, p < 0.05), explaining 33.6% of the variance (R2 = 0.336). These findings highlight that robust social support systems encompassing emotional, instrumental, and informational dimensions act as vital psychological buffers, mitigating feelings of social and emotional isolation among migrant students.
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