Psychological Symptomatology and Loneliness in a College Students Sample: what new trends can be developed to better help these students?

Abstract

We explore psychological symptomatology of college students in Madeira University, Portugal and examine socio-demographic variables associated with psychological health.  We intend to answer the questions: Does gender differ in terms of symptomatology? Which psychological symptomatology is more common? Is there a relation between severity of symptomatology and loneliness? We administered the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and UCLA Loneliness Scale to 300 students, aged 18 to 52. Women reported higher levels of symptomatology. We also noted a positive correlation between symptomatology and loneliness, which could mean that the more severe are the psychological symptoms, lonelier student’s feel. We aim to suggest interventions that best suit higher education purpose and students, promote their adjustment and well-being.

Keywords: College students, counselling services, psychopathology, loneliness.