Increased belongingness among college students during COVID-19: a potential cohort effect?

Abstract

Objective

Speculation about the effects of COVID-19, especially on youth social development, has been mixed. This study aimed to examine change in loneliness and belongingness into the first month of stay-at-home orders (January through April 2020).

Participants

College students (N = 73, mean age = 19.03 years, SD = 1.44 years) enrolled in a life-span development course.

Methods

Participants completed online surveys at the beginning and the end of the semester assessing change in well-being.

Results

Results revealed that loneliness scores significantly decreased, and belongingness scores significantly increased from Time 1 to Time 2. Among those who experienced increased belongingness, loneliness significantly decreased while there was not a significant change in loneliness among those who decreased in belongingness.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that increasing belongingness should be a focus when trying to combat loneliness, especially in young adults experiencing a dramatic life event during a critical time for social development.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• social connectedness
• loneliness
• belongingness

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Northern Kentucky University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the College of Arts & Sciences at Northern Kentucky University in the form of startup funding supplied to the first author.