An Analysis On Loneliness Level Of Afghani University Students In

Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE)
Vol. 4(2), pp. 132-138, August, 2014
Available online at http://mije.mevlana.edu.tr/
http://dx.doi.org/10.13054/mije.14.01.4.2
An Analysis On Loneliness Level Of Afghani University Students In
Turkey In Respect Of Some Variables
Hafiz Bek
Psychological Counseling and Guidance Department, Education Faculty,
Uşak University
Article history
Received:
04.01.2014
Received in revised form:
28.08.2014
Accepted:
28.08.2014
Key words:
Loneliness, Afghani,
University, University Students
This is a descriptive analysis aiming to study the loneliness level of
Afghani university students in Turkey in respect of some variables. The
nature of this study is formed by Afghani students in several universities
in Turkey. Designated with the method of random sampling, this sample
includes 133 boys, 35 girls and a total of 168 students. In the study, the
relation between the students’ loneliness and gender, age, marital status is
analyzed in order to be able to evaluate the density and the reason of
sense of loneliness. According to findings, a significant difference
between loneliness average score in respect of gender is found among the
students from different universities. According to this study, girls feel
lonelier than boys. In respect with age, there is found a significant
difference between the students’ loneliness average score. In respect with
the students’ marital status, a significant difference between the average
scores of students’ loneliness are detected. According to marital status,
engaged students feel lonelier than single students. Single and married
students feel themselves lonely in a medium-level, whereas engaged
students feel themselves lonely in a high level.
Introduction
In our century, several changes enter into our lives, our life styles, habits, especially
the relations between humans experience a lot of changes. It is not easy to keep up with these
changes. It seems unavoidable for us to confront a new set of problems. One of those
problems is loneliness. Today, loneliness is one of the issues mentioned and complained a lot
by people.
Peplau and Perlman (1982) view loneliness on the basis of human relations and define it as an
emotion emerged due to the fact that one’s existing real relations aren’t able to meet the
expectations regarding these relations. According to this fact, a person may feel himself or
herself alone even without any concrete reason in spite of being together with other people.
This situation makes people experience sorrow. Therefore, in order not to face loneliness as a
horrifying and painful sense, people develop defence mechanisms such as constant and
excessive eating without realizing, purchasing something unnecessary and meaningless,
constant watching TV without being choosy and killing time aimlessly (Gençtan, 1999).

Correspondence: Educational SciensesPsychological Counseling and Guidance, Uşak University,
Uşak, Turkey,
e-mail: [email protected],
Phone: 00-90-276.221 21 21 (pbx) | 444 40 64
Mobil Phone: 00-90-533 729 3118
Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE), 4(2); 132-138, August, 2014
Loneliness may be observed in all ages. As Yalom says (1980), everybody was born alone,
keep living alone and die alone. Of all the age periods, youth is the most critical period which
must be taken into consideration in terms of the World’s future. It is seen that there are
several researches conducted in both at home and in abroad about university youth. According
to the consequences of those researches, it is found that youth have been suffering much from
loneliness and have had great difficulty dealing with this situation (Al-Kadoumi, 2012; Çeçen,
2007; Kahraman, 1995; Karahan, 2004; Kozaklı, 2006; Roscoe, 1982; Sawir, 2008; Skomski,
1989; Yazıcılar, 2004).
Today, the universities in several countries, as a host, are giving education to their own
citizens as well as the ones coming from. Public universities or private ones serving in our
country, as in developing and developed countries, are giving educational service in a recently
growing pace to foreign students coming from abroad. Because foreign students come from
different culture and different region, it is necessarily unavoidable for them to experience
harmony and loneliness problems. Particularly from 1992 onwards since Turkish Republics
gained their independence, students come from those countries to our country so as to get
education. In addition to cognate Turkish Republics, the students have also come from
relative-Turk communities and other countries. Afghani-origin students make up some
percentage of foreign students. The aim of the study is to find out Afgani students’, who study in
Turkey as undergraduate students, loneliness level in respect of some variables. Those students still
continue coming to our country in order to have education either by means of state-funded
sources or personal sources. The reasons of determining especially Afgani students among foreign
students who came to Turkey from different countries could be explained under two headings. The
first one, those students came from a closed society and the other one is, those students live in a war
during years. In other terms, those students came from limited conditions in their home country and
they may encounter to homesickness. That is why the study is thought as that it can contributed to
literature in this area. Being a cross-cultural study is another strength of the study. Moreover, this
study is expected to shed light on the matters about what could universities do to give better
services to these Afghani students suffering from loneliness.
Method
This is a descriptive analysis aiming to study the loneliness level of Afghani university
students in Turkey in respect of some variables.
Population and Sample
This study, this sample includes 133 boys, 35 girls and a total of 168 university
students with the mean age of 22.68. Sample was chosen with the method of random
sampling and studying in several higher education institutes in Turkey in 2010 – 2011
academic year, during the summer term.
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An Analysis On Loneliness Level Of Afghani University Students…H.. Bek
Table: 1. Distribution of the sample according to gender and universities*
Universities
Hacettepe
Ankara
Gazi
Selçuk
Isparta
Ege
Dokuz Eylül
İstanbul
Total
*
Girls
N
3
1
2
0
25
3
1
0
35
Boys
%
.09
.03
.06
.00
.71
.09
.03
.00
1.00
N
9
14
10
45
22
11
7
15
133
%
.07
.11
.08
.34
.17
.08
.05
.11
1.00
the sample is made up of 168 students involved in the research.
Data Collection Tools
Personel Information Form: In this study, personal information form developed by the
researcher is used in order to collect personal information of the students involved in the
research. In this form, general information about the people filling this form can be found.
Loneliness Scale: In this study, UCLA Loneliness Scale transcribed in Turkish by Özodaşık
(1989) and Identity Information Questionnaire is also used for gathering information.
UCLA Loneliness Scale: The students’ loneliness level is evaluated by using 20 terms of
UCLA Loneliness Scale (University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale) the original
of which was developed by Russel, Peplau and Ferguson (1978) and translated into Turkish
by Özodaşık (1989). In reliability work of the scale, the correlation between the original form
and the form rewieved by Özodaşık in 1989 is found as .91 and coefficient of internal
consistence is found as 0.94.
The scale is a 4 point likert kind with a total of 20 terms, the 10 of which is direct and the
other 10 of which is reversed. According to the points individuals get, it is evaluated that the
individuals who get 20-34 points are at low loneliness level, who get 35-48 points are at mid
loneliness level, who get 49 points and above are at high loneliness level. The maximum point
to be gained is 80 while the minimum point is 20. As the point increases, so does the
loneliness level.
Data Collection and Analysis
UCLA Loneliness Scale and Identity Information Questionnaire are applied by the
researcher to the students studying at different universities and language courses in Turkey
where the sample survey are practiced. Before application starts, the students are given an
explanation about the goal of the survey and how it will be marked. Following the
application, in order to perform statistical operations on the acquired output by grading in
accordance with the scale, SPSS 15.0 packet programme is used.
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Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE), 4(2); 132-138, August, 2014
Findings
1-Subjects’ Loneliness Level Change By Gender
With respect to gender, variance analysis results regarding whether the differences
between the students’ loneliness average scores are important or not are presented in Table-2
Table 2 t test table regarding the comparison of the test subjects’ loneliness values with
gender variable
Gender
N
M
s.s
t
P
Boy
Girl
133
35
40.0150
44.1714
8.89159
8.91953
2.459
.015
According to the results in Table 2, the boys’ average score is M = 40.0150, the girls average
score is M = 44.1714 . So, it is observed that the girls’ average score is higher than boys’
average scores. t value is calculated in order to determine whether there is a significant
difference between the girls’ average and the boys’ average. It is observed that the t value
found is significant statistically (t=2,459; p<.05). (t=2,459; p<.05). According to this result, it
may be said that girls feel themselves more lonely than boys does.
2- The Analysis of Subjects’ Loneliness Level Change By Age Groups
The variance analysis results regarding whether difference between the students’
loneliness average score is significant or not with respect to age groups are indicated in Table
3.
Table 3. Descriptive statistics concerning age variable
Age
17-20
21-24
25-28
29-34
Total
M
N
s.s
F
P
42.1944
40.4316
40.6667
41.5000
40.8810
36
95
33
4
168
8.33862
9.07844
10.08299
5.80230
9.03076
.487
.47
According to Table 3, as far as age variable is concerned, the students’ average score that they
score in UCLA scale are 17-20 years old (M= 42.1944), 29-34 years old (M= 41.5000), 2528 years old (M= 40.6667) and 21-24 years old (M=40.4316) respectively. As the age grows,
the sense of loneliness can be expected to decrease. According to the results of ANOVA
conducted in order to examine such a difference, a significant difference could not be found
(F(3,168)=,0487; p>,05).
3- The Analysis of Subjects’ Loneliness Level By Marital Status
The results regarding whether difference between the students’ loneliness average
score exist or not with respect to students’ marital status are indicated in Table 4.
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An Analysis On Loneliness Level Of Afghani University Students…H.. Bek
Table 4 Descriptive statistics belonging to marital status
Marital Status
Married
Single
Engaged
TOTAL
M
N
s.s
F
P
41.17
40.34
50.38
40.89
12
148
8
168
10.53
8.71
8.14
9.03
4.907
.009
Significance
Engaged-Single
ANOVA test results conducted in order to examine whether students’ marital status have any
effect on their loneliness level or not are indicated in Table 4. According to calculated
averages, while the ones who have the highest loneliness rate are engaged (M=50.38), the
married ones (M=41.17) and the single ones (M=40.34) comes after. The significant
difference is detected between these three groups (F(3,168)=4,907; p<,05). According to Tukey
test, the cause of this significant difference is the engaged and single students. So, it can be
concluded that the significant difference is in the direction of engaged ones.
Discussion
The sense of loneliness threatens all individuals considerably. This sense affects
especially young people more. How is the sense of loneliness regarded between the students
coming from abroad, different countries and cultures? This study is conducted in order to
examine loneliness level of Afghani university students getting higher education at various
universities in Turkey. In the survey, in order to be able to evaluate the causes and intense of
students’ loneliness sense, the relation between loneliness and gender, age and marital status
are examined. As a result, it is found that Afghani students getting education at different
universities experience loneliness. Sawir and his colleagues (2013) found in their research,
titled ‘Loneliness and International Students, on the students studying in Australia that twothirds of the students experience individual loneliness and social loneliness. Kıroğlu and his
colleagues (2010) concluded in their research, titled ‘Social – Cultural and Financial
Problems of Foreign University Students in Turkey’ that almost all foreign students suffer
from homesickness.
In the study, a significant difference by gender between students’ loneliness average score has
been found. From this aspect, the girls feel themselves more lonely than the boys does.
However, in Çeçen’s study (2007) titled ‘The Analysis of Turkish University Students' Levels
of Social and Emotional Loneliness by Gender and Life Satisfaction Levels’, it was found
that the male students experience more emotional loneliness than female students does.
This result is found to have adverse outcome when compared to the results of the research
applied to Afghani students. The rarity of participant girls in number or the students’ cultural
structure of their home country may be the factors that influence the outcome of the research.
In a research on Turkish University Youth in Turkey; a difference in terms of gender is found
between loneliness levels and doing physical exercise. To conclude; it is detected that the
loneliness levels of the girls doing physical exercise and not doing physical exercise have
considerably lower averages than the boys not doing physical exercise (Yazıcılar, 2004). In
another research, it is discovered that as the students’ participation in discussions increases,
their loneliness levels decreases, as well. It can be concluded that the individuals having
tendency to discuss about knowledge, idea or philosophy also possess developed
communication skills and problem-solving ability (Karahan and frnd, 2004). Besides, their
cultural habitat plays an important role. Roscoe ve Skomski (1989) determine that the
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Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE), 4(2); 132-138, August, 2014
methods such as talking with someone, finding something to do-working-going out, doing
gymnastic exercises-walking, reading-studying and listening to music-watching TV are used
commonly by university students for dealing with loneliness. The fact that these youngsters
come from different cultures and habitats can have considerable effect on their loneliness
levels.
The significant difference between loneliness average score of the subjects’ loneliness levels
by age couldn’t be found. With respect to students’ marital status, the significant difference
between their loneliness average score is detected. When the marital status is taken into
consideration, the engaged students feel themselves lonelier than the single ones. The single
and married students experience medium-level loneliness, while engaged ones suffer from a
high-level loneliness. Khawla Al-Kadoumi and his colleagues (2012) put forth in their
research carried out among Arabian students studying in Irbid National University that first
grade students feel more lonely than upper grade students does but there isn’t found any
significant difference in terms of marital status.
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