Loneliness
in freshmen may lower healthiness
By
Sarah Storer
The Mace & Crown
NORFOLK, Va. (U-Wire) — Freshman year of college can be a difficult time.
First-year students are faced with balancing classes, outside jobs and sometimes
children. Many freshmen are living on their own for the first time, with a
roommate they may not know, in a city they may have never been to before. The
increased loneliness and stress first-year students feel is known as the “Freshman
Blues.”
According to a study published in the May issue of Health Psychology, the “Freshman
Blues” may also decrease health.
“Lonely students had less robust immune responses to the flu shot than
other students,” researchers said.
The study was done at Carnegie Mellon University, using 37 male and 46 female
freshmen. Each received a flu shot at a university clinic, then was asked to
fill out questionnaires on their health behaviors. For two weeks, starting
two days before they received the flu shot, the students recorded their moods — including
feelings of stress and loneliness — four times a day. During the two-week
period, saliva samples were obtained from the students four times a day for
five days. The samples were measured for levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Researchers found that students with a “weak social network” — few
close friends — had a poor immune response to the flu shot, independent
of loneliness. Loneliness itself, however, was also associated with a poor
immune system response to the flu shot—for as long as four months after
the shot, the researchers found.
The findings support the premise that chronic loneliness can help predict a
person’s health and well-being, researchers said.
“You can have very few friends but still not feel lonely,” said Sarah
Pressman, the lead researcher, in a prepared statement. “Alternatively,
you can have many friends, yet feel lonely.”
Loneliness, she said, may not be relevant to students’ social groups;
it may be caused by a poor immune response to the flu shot. However, social
factors are important for health, Pressman said, because “they encourage
good health behaviors such as eating [healthfully], sleeping and exercising
well, and may buffer the stress response to negative events.”
Dr. Tammy Hatfield, a licensed clinical psychologist from Counseling Services
at Old Dominion University, said the study may not apply to all college students “because
of the sample size used, and because the study was only looking at immune system
response to the flu shot.” However, “stress over time,” she
said, “tends to weaken the immune system and make us more susceptible
to becoming ill. Reducing the amount of stress in your life and managing the
stress you have no control over are important [to] staying healthy.”
The most important thing first-year students can do to combat depression is
to get involved on campus, Dr. Hatfield said.
In addition to becoming involved, Dr. Hatfield said: “Be vigilant in
monitoring your level of stress, changes in mood, appetite, sleep patterns
and level of motivation.”
It is also important to eat right, exercise, sleep well and have trusted friends,
while keeping a healthy balance between study, work and fun, she said.
“First-year college students are often surprised by the amount of time
they may need to spend out of class studying, completing assignments and preparing
for exams,” Dr. Hatfield said. “Giving yourself adequate time to
complete coursework and avoiding procrastination are helpful strategies,” Dr.
Hatfield said.
The University of South Florida’s Counseling Center for Humane Development
offered this advice: “Keep in mind three important concepts—consequences,
change and cooperation. Every decision you will make will have certain consequences.
Whenever you find yourself facing a decision, think it through. It is important
to remember that things change. If you are unhappy at first with your life
as a college student, don’t give up.”
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