Loneliness and psychological stress in Japanese university students: A cross-sectional gender-based comparative study

This study aimed to identify stress-related factors associated with loneliness among Japanese university students and examine gender differences in these associations to apply gender-specific mental health interventions.

A total of 1642 university students (900 men, 742 women, mean age 20.0 ± 1.7 years) participated in an annual mental health survey conducted in 2024 for a university in Osaka Prefecture. Participants completed the Short-Form UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed separately for men and women, with loneliness as the dependent variable.

Depression and social anxiety were significant predictors of loneliness in both genders. Higher levels of loneliness were associated with living with others, lower alcohol consumption, and higher perceived stress in men, whereas family stress was associated with loneliness in women. Living alone, alcohol use, and perceived stress did not significantly predict loneliness in women.

Depression and social anxiety are key factors associated with loneliness among university students, irrespective of their gender. Living alone, alcohol use, perceived stress, and family distress were gender-specific factors associated with loneliness. Mental health interventions should consider gender-specific needs, particularly addressing family-related stress in women and enhancing socialization in men, to effectively reduce loneliness and its associated negative outcomes.