The experience of loneliness among international students participating in the BBC Loneliness Experiment: thematic analysis of qualitative survey data
Zheng, K; Johnson, S; Jarvis, R; et al.Victor, C; Barreto, M; Qualter, P; Pitman, A
Date: 15 May 2023
Article
Journal
Current Research in Behavioral Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier
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Abstract
Loneliness is associated with poor mental and physical health in the general population. It is
thought to be prevalent among international students, but few studies have investigated this.
To capture what loneliness means in the everyday lives of international students we analysed
data from 521 international students aged 16-40 years ...
Loneliness is associated with poor mental and physical health in the general population. It is
thought to be prevalent among international students, but few studies have investigated this.
To capture what loneliness means in the everyday lives of international students we analysed
data from 521 international students aged 16-40 years who participated online in the 2018
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Loneliness Experiment. Using the approach of
thematic analysis of free‐text responses to a question probing the perceived meaning of
loneliness, we identified six main themes: (1) Negative psychological and social aspects of
loneliness; (2) The distressing experience of being alone; (3) Disrupted ability to make
meaningful connections; (4) Sense of entrapment in a state of loneliness; (5) Awareness of
others’ stigmatising perceptions of oneself as lonely; (6) Perceptions of positive aspects of
loneliness. These findings identified a range of negative social and psychological dimensions
of loneliness in international students in relation to their well-being, emotional health, and
social functioning, hampering the benefits to be gained from their overseas study. Higher
education teaching staff, pastoral staff, and mental health professionals need to be more aware
of the prevalence and impacts of loneliness and should tackle it in culturally appropriate ways.
Psychology
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
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