Mind Matters Episode 3 - Loneliness - First Draft

University students often experience loneliness, which can have a significant impact on their mental health. A survey conducted at Cambridge University found that 75% of students reported feeling lonely on a daily or weekly basis, while almost half of the respondents said they did not have a group of friends at university. Loneliness can affect academic performance, social relationships, and overall well-being. It can manifest in various ways, such as increased anxiety, isolation, low self-esteem, and unhealthy attachment to others. Loneliness is a universal experience that can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. It is important to address the challenges students face in developing meaningful social connections and provide support to combat loneliness. However, combating loneliness in university can be difficult as it is often stigmatized and students may be hesitant to seek help. It is crucial to encourage open conversations about loneliness and provide prompt support to those Welcome to Mind Matters, the podcast series dedicated to the mental wellbeing of university students. I'm your new host, Aaron, psychology graduate from Newcastle University and a new member of the Andrew and Virginia Rhodes Centre in the Faculty of Education. I'm really interested in psychopathology and learning about our vast individual differences, so it's an absolute honour to join this amazing series. At university, we often find ourselves navigating a whirlwind of emotions, experiences and challenges that profoundly impact our mental health. In the last two episodes, we discussed the importance of building meaningful social connections and brought you some research informed evidence about how to promote a sense of community and belonging at university. In this episode, we'll focus on loneliness and pertaining mental health problems in university, as mounting evidence suggests that it's a very common and major problem in young adults. To give some context before we get into it, I've got some data here from Cambridge University Student Union, who distributed a loneliness survey to students in 2019 and received over 1,600 responses. 75% of students reported that they feel lonely on a daily or weekly basis. Almost half of respondents reported feeling like they did not have a group of friends of some kind at university. And 14% did not consider themselves to have any true friends at university. So it's evidently important that we discuss the challenges our students are facing in developing satisfactory social relationships, what might be causing these challenges, and talk about the ways we can better support them in combating loneliness. Today, I'm joined again by Iris. Hello. Safi. Hiya. And additionally, we're honoured to welcome a new speaker, Flavia, from the Mental Health Advice Service here at the University of Cambridge. So, hello, Flavia. Please could you introduce yourself to our listeners? Hi, Aaron. Thanks for having me. I'm Flavia Williams, Mental Health Advisor within the Mental Health Advice Service, situated in the Student Support Services. Thank you for having me to contribute on this very important topic that affects our students and staff as well. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. Thank you. So, what is loneliness and why do you think it's an important topic? I think loneliness is a subjective feeling of social isolation, a disconnection from others, which can impact one's physical and mental wellbeing. But it's a universal experience that can occur at any age and in various life circumstances. I think when we talk about loneliness, it is important to distinguish between feeling lonely and being alone. Being alone is at times a voluntary state of solitude, which can be positive and quite restorative for some. Feeling lonely can happen even when surrounded by people and others, but when one does not feel connected or even have that sense of belonging. So, it's an important topic because it impacts everyone, people of all ages, cultures, backgrounds, and many of us have experienced loneliness at some point of our lives. Loneliness can affect academic performance and engagement because it has been associated with absenteeism from school, from work, reduced productivity, as Enes mentioned earlier, loss of motivation, and therefore striving for growth and progress is impacted. Loneliness can affect an individual's ability to form and maintain meaningful relationships, both in the professional and personal levels. Less participation is a result of that and contribution to the academic community, for example. One can be socially withdrawn because of loneliness, which could then impact the trust you have with course mates, your tutors, your supervisors. So, it has more than just social implications, it can also affect your professional world. Yes, it's kind of like a domino effect, how it can start with just you and then it can impact your social life, that can affect your work life or your academic performance, yes. I'm going to say that, you know, loneliness can manifest itself in different ways and it's quite important that we are able to identify when students are experiencing loneliness because persistent loneliness can lead to other difficulties. Some of the ways in which loneliness might be identified in students is, we might note students being, you know, having increased anxiety, some form of isolation, whether self or, you know, just feeling excluded from other social groups. Feelings of fear, self-doubt, they might experience some form of low self-esteem or confidence. Also, just unhealthy attachment to other people or things, to kind of fill that empty space of loneliness that they're experiencing. It could be developing unhealthy habits, such as excessive spending. It could be substance misuse. Some may want to become perfect, so perfectionism, it might also look like that for some people because they might feel they're better able to fit in. A sense of purpose as well. Yes, and have a more sense of purpose as well. Yes, and just, you know, maybe any change that might note in their daily routine and their work ethics as well. Iris, your expertise of research is obviously loneliness. So, how do you define loneliness and why do you think that it's an important topic? Thank you. So, psychologists define loneliness as the negative feeling to a discrepancy between the social relationships one desires and the relationships one actually has. And as Sophie highlighted, it's a purely subjective feeling, so it cannot be decided by the objective measures, such as the number of friends you have or the frequency of social contacts. Loneliness is associated with an increased risk for many health issues and mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, cognitive deterioration, obesity, hypertension, and heart diseases. A study of about 18,000 university students from 25 countries found that lonely students are likely to self-report poor subjective health status, more sleeping problems, tobacco use, and heavy internet use, and a lot of risky behaviours, like sexual risk behaviours and aggressive behaviours. And loneliness is also related to suicidal ideation, and suicide was one leading cause of death for adults aged 20 to 34 years in the UK. So, many people may think loneliness is associated with ageing, yet it can affect anyone at any age. More and more studies found that young people, especially aged 16 to 24 years, may be the group who feel loneliest. In line with what Aaron said about student unions finding, a lot of our students have experienced or are experiencing loneliness at the moment and may need support from university. However, combating loneliness in the university can be a really difficult task, as loneliness is highly sensitive and often stigmatised. Research commissioned by the government has found that 43% of students worry they would be judged if they admitted to feeling lonely. So, it can be really hard for other people to identify the lonely students if they are afraid to ask for help. Yet, at the same time, about 90% of students said they wouldn't judge others if they were told that someone was lonely. So, everyone's students may need to know this and be brave enough to speak about their challenges and needs. And it's also very important for us who work with students to encourage them to talk to us without any concern and identify those who might need help more promptly. Yeah, and I think it's so important how you both said that it's a subjective experience. Loneliness, you know, our own experiences of loneliness differ from person to person and that can be quite an isolating feeling because you feel like you're the only person that's, you know, dealing with loneliness. But then, it's actually a universal experience. So, it's something that, you know, anyone can experience at any given point in time, regardless of the setting you're in, your age, but it's still subjective and it feels like no one else really understands it or experiences it. So, what are some common causes of loneliness among university students here at Cambridge? I think university students can experience loneliness for a variety of reasons. One, perhaps the most obvious one, can be initially the transition and change, a new home away from familiar hometowns, new social networks, new peers, you know, a loss in a way of what was once very familiar, loss of old friends even, a loss of things that are established that help you feel secure and safe and that can make a person feel quite isolated and move into themselves. Different living arrangements, connecting with new housemates or just getting used to living with others, that can be quite challenging and people can be quite reserved and end up being quite lonely because they're not making the connections they need. New or different academic pressures, demands, schedules, leading to people being isolated. They don't have time for themselves, they don't have time for their social connections, they're too busy to find the time to participate in social events. I hear that quite often, I'm so busy I don't have the time. And to meet new people and sometimes they don't even have time to stay connected to their existing friends. You know, so loneliness can stem from things like that. There are cultural differences, sometimes adapting to a new environment, not only physically new but also culturally new. This takes time, awareness and building the confidence to deal with this newness. The adjustment period can be isolating. You know, I think I'd like to be encouraging to say that you have to give yourself time and sometimes while you get used to things it can feel a bit isolating and lonely. But to persevere and be encouraged and you get over that hopefully. Yeah, no, yeah. I remember being at university and thinking that you just see everyone always going out, always doing something and you think like, oh my gosh, I'm doing something wrong. And I remember my first week just ringing my friends frantically thinking, oh my gosh, I haven't met my best friends yet and I haven't been invited anywhere. But that's literally just your first couple of days and you do need to give yourself that kind of grace period where you can just settle and just focus on adjusting and then it all just falls into place, yeah. Be kind to yourself. I think it's also worth mentioning that students with current or pre-existing mental health challenges can experience loneliness but not all do. You shouldn't make a stereotypical assumption. At the same time there are people who do not present with any specific or identified mental health challenge but they do experience loneliness. So it really doesn't discriminate in any formal way. I know you had mentioned some of the evidence around loneliness but just to add to that. Yes, please. It's evidence that most at-risk group for loneliness falls between ages 16 to 34. And recently there was a study that showed that similarly to mental health, one in four adults will experience loneliness at some point or the other. Others at-risk are those with existing mental health and neurodivergent conditions, experiences or exposure to abuse or trauma. Could be related to cultural, religious, religious barriers, being of an ethnic minority or even being part of the LGBTQ communities, moving away from home. So difficulties assimilating and transitioning, not having as much support as they probably would have at home as well. And that can be for the younger students as much as the more mature students as well. Some may have family of their own, their parents and carers, leaving children behind or trying to juggle home and work as well. But I should say that it's also not limited to being alone or away from others that you are used to. You could be around other people and still feel lonely. So you can be in a crowded room full of people, but if there's no one that you feel like you can emotionally connect to, then you know. Yes, and therefore it is important to be able to identify when being alone is not a choice. Oh, that's true, because there are some people who enjoy their own company. There are some people who like to be alone and enjoy the comfort of their own company, whereas others don't. So, you know, if we can distinguish when this is not a choice, I am alone, you know. And distinguish between being, you know, you can be alone and not be lonely. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And there is another aspect that I want to highlight, which is called existential loneliness. It's a bit different from social loneliness, like about social networks or intimate relationships. Existential loneliness describes a deeply rooted form of loneliness stemming from a sense of fundamental separation from others and the world. And young people may describe existential loneliness as involving feelings of not belonging, feeling distant from meaningful relationships, lacking meaning of life, especially, and having concerns about death or future. So it can emerge as early as adolescence, because of increased awareness of oneself as a separate being. And for university students, the majority of us in our early adulthood are facing new responsibilities to fulfill as an individual, such as expectations to gain a place in the outside world, in the society, make professional decisions, to have kind of marriage and new family, to develop social networks. So during this period, students like Weiya experience a change of identity and longing for an answer of why we are here in the world and in society. So it can be a really challenging time with growing emotional and spiritual needs. So you've kind of already touched on this a little bit, but loneliness can lead to various psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, substance use. What are the early warning signs of some of these mental health problems? I'd like to start before we talk about specific signs, it's important to note that these warning signs, as we call them, can vary from person to person, and might not necessarily indicate a specific mental health condition. However, if some of the signs that we're going to discuss in a minute persist, then it is important that support is seeked immediately and medical advice when necessary. So some of these signs could be persistent low moods, increased feelings of anxiety, social withdrawal, you know, you don't want to engage, you don't want to get out there, you don't want to leave your room, you don't want to be with people, you're isolating yourself from others, and it's escalating. You know, it may start initially, I don't really want to go to that particular party, but then you find yourself not wanting to go to anything, or engage with anyone. You start avoiding social situations, you start losing interest, even in things that you used to once like. These are some of the signs. Physical signs can include change in sleep patterns, appetite changes, other physical symptoms like extreme fatigue, headaches, and they're kind of all interrelated to each other. So usually if you've lost motivation to do anything, that may also include not wanting to eat, not wanting to, you know, go out and get a good exercise or go for a walk, and that sort of affects you. And then you don't sleep properly because you haven't had good nutrition in the body, so it's all kind of interrelated. Feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem, diminished sense of self-worth. You start noticing this is changing, changing quite rapidly. You know, maybe some support, talking to someone might be very useful. Suicidal thoughts and urges to self-harm. In severe cases, loneliness can contribute to suicide ideation and self-harm tendencies, in which one must be encouraged to seek immediate professional support. Yeah, very good, very good. And so do you know any kind of signs that can, or for us like who are working with students to identify those who might need help? Usually if you've worked with someone and you feel you've known them enough where certain manner may seem unusual, of course you don't want to jump to a conclusion. A person could just really be having a difficult day and that's all it is. Be courageous to talk about the subject. I think that's very important. We mustn't shy away from talking about the subject. You know, is everything okay? You seem a little bit quieter than usual. And if you notice that pattern persist, then actually share that. Say, you know what, I kind of noticed this has been persisting. So, you know, maybe we should sit and chat about this because I'm really concerned. And actually show that, that you're being concerned rather than being judgmental about the whole situation. I think that's very important. That's one of the signs. Yeah, definitely. And I also want to highlight that no matter how normal your friend looks like, you have to talk with them and chat with them regularly because people can really disguise their true feelings. And sometimes maybe because they just don't want to look bad or vulnerable, or sometimes they just don't want to hurt your feelings because if they said they are lonely, they are afraid their people or their friends think they didn't treat them as friends. And their friends may feel sad. And so people may just mask their own feelings and put a smile face all the time. Yeah. I mean, just like you said, Safi, earlier, that you can be in the presence of people. You could be in a really, really busy room with people that you've known for a long time and you can still feel lonely. And so to then, yeah, it must be hard for students to then kind of turn to people who, you know, people who love them and care about them and say, oh, I'm still feeling lonely. Because yeah, you can kind of imagine that worry that their friends are going to think, how can you be lonely? I think it's important to look at loneliness as an experience and not something that we do play a blame game. It's not anybody's fault if you're lonely. It's not your friend's fault. It's not your fault. You're not being fussy. It's not about fault. It's not about blame. It's an experience you go through. And what you seek is support. Yes. You know, you seek support. And one aspect is let's not make this topic a taboo thing. Yeah. There is no shame because there is no fault in it. You know, it's just, it is one of those things, you know, we're okay to say, I'm actually thirsty or I'm hungry. And then your friend says, let's go grab a bite. That's okay. So it's okay to say, you know what, I'm lonely. And someone says, what can we do about it? Yeah. It's an absence of something that people who care about you and love you will want to hear about and know what more they can do to help and support and give you that. And so what resources and services are available for our students who feel lonely and are struggling with their mental health? How can they seek help? And it's a good question. Because when you are struggling with something, you know, there are ways and means of managing and coping, but it's knowing where to find that. Yeah. So there are various support available within the colleges and university. And within the university, there's the student support services. They recently adopted the step care model. So students can access services within the college, but if need be, they can step them up or step down. I'll get a little bit more into that as well. So just briefly, a little bit more about the step care model. It's a staged, integrated and collaborative approach to supporting students. And if you think of it, the step care model, as it says, steps. So it's three steps, and you can go up or down at any point. Or if you think of it as a triangle, you can move along that at any time. So within which there is the hierarchy of interventions and support, from the least to the most intense, to meet each student's individual needs. And this ensures that the student needs are person-centered and that they receive the appropriate interventions. It also means that students can access the most suitable service or services for their mental health needs at any time. And students can step up or down or move along, as I said before, increase or decrease the support depending on the level of need or what treatment is required along their journey. So I'll just tell you a little bit more about each of the different services within the Student Support Service. Of course, without being biased, I'll start with the Mental Health Advice Service, which offers support and advice to students with their mental health needs. That might be affecting their day-to-day functioning and ability to engage appropriately with their work. And we do work with students to find brief solutions and to develop healthy coping strategies and self-management skills. We liaise a lot with the colleges and also external services that may be necessary to offer additional support as and when required. Like I said, a student's needs might need to increase, which we are not able to support with. And so we can refer them or advise for referrals to be made to secondary services as well. We do have the University Counselling Service. They offer a one-at-a-time individual session, which means students can access counselling in a much quicker time and as and when they need it. They also run workshops and groups independently and jointly with other student support services. So, for example, we do have a Building Connections group that's run jointly with the University Counselling Service and the Mental Health Advice Service. There's the Postgrad Wellbeing Service, which helps postgrads to assimilate and connect with the collegiate and university communities. There's the Harassment and Violence Support Service that supports those that have been subjected to sexual harassment or intimate partner abuse. There's the Racial and Religious Discrimination Advisor, which is quite a new role. But, of course, there was the need for that. And what is good is that the university seems to be listening quite a lot to the needs of the students and responding to meet the needs of those. So, you know, this role came about quite recently. And I should just say that, you know, the student support services collectively, we complement each other. Therefore, students can access one or more services at any time, depending on their needs and, you know, the problems that they are presenting with or for more targeted support as well. That's fantastic. It's amazing that the university, like you said, recognises the diversity of students and diversity of needs among students and is trying to cater to those needs. I really like the fact that it's individual focused and it's shaped by each individual's needs. That's fantastic. Yeah, yeah. And one last message. If we look forward now, what are the changes that we can make as individuals, as a university and as a society to promote inclusivity and try and combat loneliness? Addressing loneliness requires a multifaceted approach that involves individual efforts, social support systems and policies that promote social inclusion and community building. I think we start by understanding the causes, the consequences and the potential solutions to loneliness. And from that, we can work towards creating a more connected and supportive society. Yeah. Yeah. And for me, I think we have already covered that part in our earlier discussion. So like smiling depression, a lonely person can also seem to be an active, high-functioning individual. So please show more empathy to everyone around you, no matter how healthy they look like. And never say something like, just get over it. Others have it worse, so what do you have to complain about? And real men don't cry. So if they courage up to unmask their feelings and express to you, please show more empathy and not judgmental. And start from something small, like do some service or volunteer or make calls to any friends you are thinking of today. Just do some little things and the world, the society will be more connected. So again, what's good is that I think there's been a lot of work being done within the university. They are listening and as we both said before, responding to those needs. But there's always need for, you know, improvement. I think fostering even a more inclusive and equitable learning and working environment is quite important. So that students and staff, you know, can feel belonged. Create a culture that makes every student feel that they deserve a space at Cambridge. And for each, you know, person to feel valued. And then, you know, I mean, in general, just to increase training for staff to have greater understanding of some of the risk factors of students that lead to loneliness and mental health conditions. And how to better support and seek support for their needs or, you know, help them to seek that support for their needs as well. Yeah, well, thank you so much for joining us, Flavia and Safi. It's been really fascinating talking with you guys. And I mean, I couldn't agree more with what you've had to say about the importance of talking about loneliness, especially for our university students. You know, it's the age group that we're talking about here, 18 to 21, if not older. And if you're, you know, a postgraduate student, those are really formative years of your life. And it's a really pivotal transition period. And so it's so important that people know that these feelings, these experiences are very normal. And that you're actually not alone. And that there are people out there who feel exactly the same way as you do, who are experiencing similar things. And it's also important that our students know that there are amazing services that you've mentioned out there to help you and support you. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having us. And it's great that the university is having these kind of conversations, listening and responding to needs of students. And let's continue to have these conversations. Let's keep it going. Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you so much. This has been My Matters from the Rudd Centre, University of Cambridge. Thank you for listening. Thank you for listening.