Predictors of Loneliness in Turkish University Students: Shyness and Gender

Yıl 2018, , 246 - 259, 22.04.2018

Mine Muyan , Gökçe Sancak Aydın , Ayhan Demir

https://doi.org/10.14812/cuefd.293221

Cited By: 4

Öz

The
purpose of the study was to investigate how well shyness and gender predict
loneliness levels of university students. UCLA Loneliness Scale, Cheek and Buss
Revised Shyness Scale and a Personal Information Sheet were used to collect
data. The sample of the study was 375 (242 female, 133 male) university
students from different departments of a state university in Turkey. Multiple
Regression Analysis was used to analyze data. The results showed that the
regression model containing shyness and gender explained 33% of the total variance
in loneliness. Specifically, while shyness was found to be significantly and
positively predict loneliness, male participants were found to be lonelier than
female participants in the current study. Some implications of the present
findings discussed in the study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Loneliness, Shyness, Gender

Kaynakça

• Al Khatib, S. A. (2012). Exploring the relationship among loneliness, self-esteem, self-efficacy and gender in United Arab Emirates college students. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 8(1), 159-181. doi: 10.5964/ejop.v8i1.301
• Amil, O., & Bozgeyikli, H. (2015). Investigating the relationship between social appearance anxiety and loneliness of Turkish university youth. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 11(1). 68-96.
• Anderson, C. A., & Harvey, R. J. (1988). Brief report: Discriminating between problems in living: An examination of measures of depression, loneliness, shyness, and social anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 6(3-4), 482-491. doi: 10.1521/jscp.1988.6.3-4.482
• Ashe, D. D., & McCutcheon, L. E. (2001). Shyness, loneliness, and attitude toward celebrities. Current Research in Social Psychology, 6(9), 124-133.
• Atli, A., Keldal, G., & Soner,O. (2015). Üniversite öğrencilerinin yabancılaşma ve yalnızlık düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki [The relationship between the levels of university students’ alienation and loneliness]. Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences, 12(29), 149-160.
• Baş, G. (2010). An investigation of the relationship between shyness and loneliness levels of elementary students in a Turkish sample. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 2, 419-440.
• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529.
• Berg, J. H., & Peplau, L. A. (1982). Loneliness: The relationships of self-disclosure and androgyny. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 8, 624-630. doi: 10.1177/0146167282084004
• Borys, S., & Perlman, D. (1985). Gender differences in loneliness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 11, 63-74. doi: 10.1177/0146167285111006
• Booth, R. (1983). An examination of college GPA, composite ACT scores, IQs, and gender in relation to loneliness of college students. Psychological Reports, 53(2), 347-352. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1983.53.2.347
• Brennan, T. (1982). Loneliness at adolescence. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (pp. 269-290). New York: Wiley.
• Buluş, M. (1997). Üniversite öğrencilerinde yalnızlık [Loneliness in university students]. Pamukkale University Journal of Education, 3(3), 82-90.
• Cacioppo, J. T., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M. H., McClintock, M. K., Malarkey, W. B., Hawkley, L. C., ... & Spiegel, D. (2000). Lonely traits and concomitant physiological processes: The MacArthur social neuroscience studies. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 35(2), 143-154. doi:10.1016/S0167-8760(99)00049-5
• Çeçen, A. R. (2008). Öğrencilerinin cinsiyetlerine ve anababa tutum algılarına göre yalnızlık ve sosyal destek düzeylerinin incelenmesi [University students' loneliness and perceived social support levels according to gender and perceived parents attitudes]. Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences, 6, 415-431.
• Cheek, J. M., & Briggs, S. R. (1990). Shyness as a personality trait. In W. R. Crozier (Ed.): Shyness and embarrassment: Perspectives from social psychology (pp. 315-337). Cambridge: UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Cheek, J. M., & Busch, C. M. (1981). The influence of shyness on loneliness in a new situation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7(4), 572-577. doi: 10.1177/014616728174008
• Chen, L. J., & Chung, S. K. (2007). Loneliness, social connectedness, and family income among undergraduate females and males in Taiwan. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 35(10), 1353-1364. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2007.35.10.1353
• Demir, A. (1989). UCLA Yalnızlık Ölçeği’nin geçerlik ve güvenirliği. [The validity and reliability of UCLA Loneliness Scale]. Turkish Journal of Psychology, 7(23), 14-18.
• Demirli, A., & Demir, A. (2014). The role of gender, attachment dimensions, and family environment on loneliness among Turkish university students. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 24(01), 62-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2013.11
• Deniz, M., Hamarta, E., & Ari, R. (2005). An investigation of social skills and loneliness levels of university students with respect to their attachment styles in a sample of Turkish students. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 33(1), 19-32.
• Dill, J. C., & Anderson, C. A. (1999). Loneliness, shyness, and depression: The etiology and interrelationships of everyday problems in living. In: T. Joiner & J.C. Coyne (Eds.) The interactional nature of depression: Advances in interpersonal approaches (pp. 93-125). Washington, D.C.: APA
• Duru, E. (2005). Amerika’da ve Türkiye’de lisansüstü öğrenim gören Türk öğrencilerin yalnızlık düzeylerinin karşılaştırılması [A comparison of the loneliness levels of graduate Turkish students in the USA and Turkey]. Education and Science, 30(137), 16-26.
• Duyan, V., Çamur Duyan, G., Gökçearslan Çiftçi, E., Sevin, Ç., Erbay, E., & İkizoğlu, M. (2008). Lisede okuyan öğrencilerin yalnızlık durumlarına etki eden değişkenlerin incelenmesi [An examination of variables affecting state of loneliness in high school students]. Education and Science, 33(150), 28-41.
• Eldeleklioğlu, J. (2008). Gender, romantic relationships, Internet use, perceived social support and social skills as the predictors of loneliness. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 33, 127-140.
• Erözkan, A. (2009). The predictors of loneliness in adolescents. Elementary Education Online, 8(3), 809-819.
• Erözkan, A. (2004). Lise öğrencilerinin bağlanma stilleri ve yalnızlık düzeylerinin bazı değişkenlere göre incelenmesi [Investigation of high school students’ attachment styles and loneliness with regard to some variables]. Atatürk University Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences, 4(2), 155-175.
• Girgin, G. (2009). Evaluation of the factors affecting loneliness and hopelessness among university students in Turkey. Social Behavior and Personality, 37(6), 811–818. doi:10.2224/sbp.2009.37.6.811
• Green, V. A., & Wildermuth, N. L. (1993). Self-focus, other-focus, and interpersonal needs as correlates of loneliness. Psychological Reports, 73(3), 843-850. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1993.73.3.843
• Gültekin, F. (2001). Lise öğrencilerinin kendini açma davranışlarının kimlik gelişim düzeyleri açısından incelenmesi [Investigation of high school students’ self-disclosure attitudes according to their identity development levels]. Uludağ Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14(1), 231-241.
• Gündoğdu, R. (2010). Farklı puan türüne göre eğitim fakültesine gelen öğrencilerin kendini açma davranışlarının incelenmesi [Investigation of self-disclosure behaviors of students from different points of species at faculty of education]. Uluslararası İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi, 7(2), 748-777.
• Gürses, A., Merhametli, Z. R., Şahin, E., Güneş, K., & Açıkyıldız, M. (2011). Psychology of loneliness of high school students. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2578-2581. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.149
• Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40(2), 218-227.doi: 10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8
• Heinrich, L. M., & Gullone, E. (2006). The clinical significance of loneliness: A literature review. Clinical Psychology Review, 26(6), 695-718. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2006.04.002
• Izgar, H. (2009). Okul yöneticilerinde yalnızlık ve depresyon üzerine bir inceleme [An investigation of depression and loneliness among school principals]. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 9(1), 231-258.
• İlhan, T. (2012). Loneliness among university students: Predictive power of sex roles and attachment styles on loneliness. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(4), 2387-2396.
• Jackson, J., & Cochran, S. D. (1991). Loneliness and psychological distress. The Journal of Psychology, 125(3), 257-262. doi: 10.1080/00223980.1991.10543289
• Jackson, T., Fritch, A., Nagasaka, T., & Gunderson, J. (2002). Towards explaining the association between shyness and loneliness: A path analysis with American college students. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 30(3), 263-270. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2002.30.3.263
• Jones, W. H., Freemon, J. E., &Goswick, R. A. (1981). The persistence of loneliness: Self and other determinants. Journal of Personality, 49(1), 27-48. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1981.tb00844.x
• Kamath, M., &Kanekar, S. (1993). Loneliness, shyness, self-esteem, and extraversion. The Journal of Social Psychology, 133(6), 855-857. doi: 10.1080/00224545.1993.9713949
• Karaoğlu, N., Avşaroğlu, S., &Deniz, M. E. (2009). Yalnız mısın? Selçuk Üniversitesi öğrencilerinde yalnızlık düzeyi ile ilgili bir çalışma [Are you lonely? A study about loneliness, in university students, in Selcuk University]. Marmara Medical Journal, 22(1), 19-26.
• Koenig, L. J., & Abrams, R. R. (1999). Adolescent loneliness and adjustment: A focus on gender differences. In K. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in childhood and adolescence (pp. 296- 322). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Koydemir, S., & Demir, A. (2009). The relationship between perceive parental attitudes and shyness among Turkish youth: Fear of negative evaluation and self-esteem as mediators. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 28, 169-180. doi: 10.1007/s12144-009-9054-1
• Kutlu, M. (2005). Yetiştirmeyurduyaşantısıgeçirenliseöğrencilerininyalnızlıkdüzeyleri [The loneliness levels of the high school students living in an orphanage]. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 3(24), 89-109.
• Pamuk, M., Atli, A., &Kış, A. (2015). Türkiye’de yalnızlık üzerine yapılan tezlerin cinsiyet bağlamında incelenmesi: Meta-analitik bir çalışma [Investigation of theses in Turkey on loneliness in terms of gender: A meta-analytic study]. Journal of Theory and Practice in Educaiton, 11, 1392-1414.
• Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Perspectives on loneliness. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
• Ponzetti Jr, J. J. (1990). Loneliness among college students. Family Relations, 39, 336-340. doi: 10.2307/584881
• Qualter, P., & Munn, P. (2002). The separateness of social and emotional loneliness in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(2), 233-244. doi: 10.1111/1469-7610.00016
• Rotenberg, K. J. (1999). Childhood and adolescent loneliness: An introduction. In K. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in childhood and adolescence (pp. 3-8). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
• Rotenberg, K. J., & Morrison, J. (1993). Loneliness and college achievement: Do Loneliness Scale scores predict college drop-out? Psychological Reports, 73(3), 1283-1288. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1993.73.3f.1283
• Rubenstein, C., & Shaver, P. (1982). In search of intimacy: Surprising conclusions from a nationwide survey on loneliness & what to do about it. New York: Delacorte Press.
• Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, M. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472-480.
• Schultz, N., & Moore, D. (1986). The loneliness experience of college students: Sex differences. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 12, 111-119.doi: 10.1177/0146167286121011
• Schultz, N. R., & Moore, D. (1988). Loneliness: Differences across three age levels. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5(3), 275-284. doi: 10.1177/0265407588053001
• Solano, C. H., Batten, P. G., & Parish, E. A. (1982). Loneliness and patterns of self-disclosure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(3), 524-531.http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.43.3.524
• Terrell, F., Terrell, I.S., & Von Drashek, S.R. (2000). Loneliness and fear of intimacy among adolescents who were taught not to trust strangers during childhood. Adolescence, 35(140), 611–617.
• Townsend, K. C., & McWhirter, B. T. (2005). Connectedness: A review of the literature with implications for counseling, assessment, and research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83, 191-201. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2005.tb00596.x
• Wiseman, H., Guttfreund, D. G., & Lurie, I. (1995). Gender differences in loneliness and depression of university students seeking counselling. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 23(2), 231-243. doi: 10.1080/03069889508253008
• Yılmaz, E., Yılmaz, E., &Karaca, F. (2008). Üniversite öğrencilerinin sosyal destek ve yalnızlık düzeylerinin incelenmesi [Examining the level of social support and loneliness of university students]. Genel Tıp Dergisi, 18: 71-79.
• Zhao, J., Kong, F., & Wang, Y. (2012). Self-esteem and humor style as mediators of the effects of shyness on loneliness among Chinese college students. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(6), 686-690. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.12.024