Comparing loneliness and mental health status of college students in Nigeria and Japan

Abstract

Empirical evidence indicates that loneliness is a common experience of the youth, and mental health problems are prevalent among this group. The present study set out to examine differences in the prevalence of loneliness and its association with mental distress among a sample of undergraduate students in Nigeria and Japan. The participants were 1192 students (703 Nigerians and 489 Japanese), comprised of 503 men and 609 women drawn from eight colleges in both countries. The average age of all participants was 22.90 years. A self report measure incorporating the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the General Health Questionnaire-12 and some socio-demographic items was utilized to collect data. Findings from a two-way MANOVA revealed that Nigerian students were lonelier than their Japanese counterparts, while the Japanese students rated higher in mental distress including depression and social dysfunction. Also, gender differences in loneliness were found across and within countries, whilst differences in mental health was shown only in Japan: Japanese women recorded significantly more distress than Japanese men. Furthermore, the results of a multiple group mediation analysis demonstrated that path coefficients between Nigeria and Japan differed significantly on the relationship between loneliness and social dysfunction, and when this association was mediated by depression. The implication of these findings for the mental health of college students in both societies was discussed.

Keywords: loneliness, mental health, college students, Nigeria, Japan