Loneliness,Learned Resourcefulness,and Self-Esteem in College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among types of loneliness and learned resourcefulness, self-esteem, and gender among a sample of college students. The Revised University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA), Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule, a measure of learned resourcefulness, and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale were administered to 625 college students. Previous factor analyses of the R-UCLA revealed that it measures 2 distinct types of loneliness: intimate loneliness and social loneliness. Results of multiple regression analyses revealed that self-esteem and gender significantly predicted the experience of global loneliness (as measured by the full-scale R-UCLA), intimate loneliness, and social loneliness. Learned resourcefulness significantly predicted social loneliness only. Implications for college student counseling and future research are discussed.