Document Type

Honors Project

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Advisor: Jaine Strauss, Department of Psychology at Macalester College

Abstract

Loneliness is an increasingly widespread concern for many individuals, especially college students and young adults, and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loneliness can negatively impact health and well-being; however, many interventions are not successful in reducing loneliness. One possible intervention may be a resilience practice. Namely, self-compassion may reduce feelings of loneliness because it provides a way to connect with oneself and support well-being. This study aimed to examine the impact of a self-compassion intervention on feelings of loneliness and well-being in college students. It utilized a self-compassion writing intervention compared to a control self-affirmation writing intervention and examined both state or momentary feelings, as well as general or long-term feelings. The interventions did not affect general loneliness, but participants in both conditions experienced an increase in general well-being. Further, both conditions experienced decreased state loneliness, increased state self-compassion, and increased state well-being. The self-compassion intervention had a distinct impact on state well-being. These results support past research that long-term loneliness is difficult to alter. They also provide a new way to impact short-term feelings of loneliness in a cost- and time-effective manner.

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