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Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Social connectedness and life satisfaction: Comparing mean levels for 2 undergraduate samples and testing for
Gary Blau1, John DiMino2, Peter A DeMaria2
1a Department of Human Resource Management , Temple University , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA.
Objectives:
Comparing the mean levels of social connectedness and life satisfaction, and analyzing their relationship for 2 undergraduate samples, and testing for an increase in their means for a brief counseling sample.
Participants:
Between October 2013 and May 2015, 3 samples were collected: not-in-counseling (NIC; n = 941), initial counseling session (ICS; ie, triage session only; n = 168), and brief counseling (BC; ie, median of 4 additional counseling sessions; n = 28).
Methods:
Online surveys measuring demographic and background control variables, social connectedness, and life satisfaction.
Results:
NIC students exhibited higher social connectedness and life satisfaction than ICS students. Social connectedness significantly explained life satisfaction beyond controlled-for variables for both samples. There was a significant increase in social connectedness and life satisfaction for the BC sample.
Conclusions:
Social connectedness is an important antecedent of life satisfaction for undergraduates. Brief counseling can increase transition students' social connectedness and life satisfaction.
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