Category
Poster - Applied
Description
Loneliness is an urgent public health concern resulting in negative outcomes, ranging from depression, anxiety, and suicidality to poorer physical health, sleep, and cognitive processes. The development of chronic loneliness was potentially catalyzed by the implementation of COVID-19 policies resulting in disrupted social networks – disruptions that may have disparately impacted adolescent social-cognitive development. Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, the purpose is to determine if COVID-19 Impact – individuals’ distinct pandemic experiences – relates to current loneliness and PERMA well-being factors for Liberty University students, many of whom were adolescents during COVID-19. The following research questions are investigated: (1) What is the relationship between loneliness and the five core elements of the PERMA framework (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) and negative emotion; (2) Does COVID-19 Impact predict the current loneliness of Liberty University students; (3) What is the relationship between COVID-19 Impact and the five core elements of the PERMA framework; and (4) Do PERMA factors moderate the relationship between loneliness and COVID-19 Impact? Participants will complete several self-report instruments, including the Social Connectedness Instrument (SCI), the PERMA-Profiler, and two novel instruments developed to measure COVID-19 Impact – The COVID-19 Impact Measure (CIM) and COVID-19 Impact Timeline (CIT). A moderation effect is expected to emerge, where loneliness and COVID-19 Impact are significantly and positively related for those with lower levels of well-being, a relationship that is expected to no longer be significant for those with higher levels of well-being. While correlational findings are expected to support concerns regarding the lasting impact of COVID-19 and to raise awareness regarding the need for interventions addressing loneliness and well-being in the current population of Liberty University students. Future research will be recommended using different samples to increase generalizability, especially research efforts sampling young adults within the greater Lynchburg community.
COVID-19 Pandemic Experiences: Relationship with Loneliness of Current College Students
Poster - Applied
Loneliness is an urgent public health concern resulting in negative outcomes, ranging from depression, anxiety, and suicidality to poorer physical health, sleep, and cognitive processes. The development of chronic loneliness was potentially catalyzed by the implementation of COVID-19 policies resulting in disrupted social networks – disruptions that may have disparately impacted adolescent social-cognitive development. Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, the purpose is to determine if COVID-19 Impact – individuals’ distinct pandemic experiences – relates to current loneliness and PERMA well-being factors for Liberty University students, many of whom were adolescents during COVID-19. The following research questions are investigated: (1) What is the relationship between loneliness and the five core elements of the PERMA framework (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) and negative emotion; (2) Does COVID-19 Impact predict the current loneliness of Liberty University students; (3) What is the relationship between COVID-19 Impact and the five core elements of the PERMA framework; and (4) Do PERMA factors moderate the relationship between loneliness and COVID-19 Impact? Participants will complete several self-report instruments, including the Social Connectedness Instrument (SCI), the PERMA-Profiler, and two novel instruments developed to measure COVID-19 Impact – The COVID-19 Impact Measure (CIM) and COVID-19 Impact Timeline (CIT). A moderation effect is expected to emerge, where loneliness and COVID-19 Impact are significantly and positively related for those with lower levels of well-being, a relationship that is expected to no longer be significant for those with higher levels of well-being. While correlational findings are expected to support concerns regarding the lasting impact of COVID-19 and to raise awareness regarding the need for interventions addressing loneliness and well-being in the current population of Liberty University students. Future research will be recommended using different samples to increase generalizability, especially research efforts sampling young adults within the greater Lynchburg community.
Comments
Graduate