Levels of Loneliness in Young People

Abstract

This research was carried out on students attending the first (freshman) and fourth (senior) grades of the College of Home Economics Department and Department of Agricultur I Machinery in the Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara University. The purpose was to determine any significant differences u ween their loneliness levels and whether any of these differences are created by sex, birth order, number of siblings and/or state of their willingness to set up social contact with those they are with in their free time. The study covers a total of 160 students in their first and fourth years in the College of Home Economics, which is attended mostly by girls, and in the Department of Agricultural Machinery, which is preferred mostly by boys. In order to obtain information about the students "A Personal Questionnaire" was used, and to measure the loneliness level the "UCLA Loneliness Scale" was used. The statistical results indicated that while variables such as sex (P<0.01), the state of willingness to set up social relationships (P<0.05) and the free time companion (P<0.05) made important differences to the young people's loneliness levels, the variables of class, birth order, and number of siblings had no impact (P>0.05).