Tendencies Toward Social Isolation and Loneliness Among University Students

In today’s rapidly digitalizing world, individuals’ modes of social interaction are undergoing significant transformations. With the increasing prevalence of advanced technology, traditional face-to-face communication is increasingly being replaced by virtual forms of interaction. This shift may contribute to growing tendencies toward social isolation and loneliness, particularly among young adults and university students. University students represent a group at heightened risk for social isolation due to various factors such as academic stress, social transitions, and the processes of individuation. The primary aim of this study is to examine the tendencies of university students toward social isolation and loneliness, and to investigate how these behaviors relate to demographic variables. The study adopts a quantitative research approach and was conducted using a descriptive survey model. The sample of the research consists of 406 university students selected through random sampling methods. Findings reveal that students generally exhibit moderate levels of social isolation; however, they do not present fully withdrawn behavioral patterns. Notably, the “Isolation” subdimension yielded higher average scores compared to other dimensions, indicating that students are distancing themselves from their social environments to a certain extent.