The impact of the risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' loneliness: the mediating role of psychological resilience

Abstract

In order to explore how universities provide psychological counseling work for college students, we investigated the relationships between and mechanisms behind risk perception, psychological resilience, social support, and loneliness. The study found that (1) The risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant positive predictive effect on college students' loneliness. (2) Psychological resilience played a mediating role between the risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic and loneliness. (3) Social support played a moderating role between the risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic and loneliness. The results show that the risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic both directly and indirectly affected college students' loneliness, the latter through psychological resilience, and that social support can regulate risk perception and loneliness; in other words, social support can reduce the negative impact of risk perception on loneliness. The research conclusions have practical guiding significance for preventing, intervening in, and alleviating college students' loneliness.