Abstract
Enrollment in the university is marked by intense personal transformations and the need to adapt to a more autonomous teaching model. This scenario can contribute to the emergence of feelings of loneliness and impact the quality of life of college students. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between loneliness and quality of life in college students at a public university in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais. A total of 268 undergraduate students randomly select took part in the study. The instruments used were a sociodemographic and lifestyle questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes Study 36 - item Short Form (SF-36), and the Brazilian Loneliness Scale (UCLA-BR). Descriptive and inferential analyzes were conducted (correlation, Kruskal-Wallis, and logistic regression). The highest score in the quality of life’s domain was Functional Capacity and the lowest was Vitality. Regarding loneliness, 60.82% of the sample had a minimum level. There was a significant association between loneliness and six quality of life domains. Loneliness doubled the chance of worse quality of life for the domains: social aspects (β = 2.66), emotional limitation (β = 2.18), and mental health (β = 2.61). In conclusion, loneliness negatively impacts the quality of life of university students and, therefore, interventions are required for this population.
Keywords:
Quality of Life; Loneliness; Students