Adaptation to university life, fear of loneliness, and depression in first-year students at a private university in the Peruvian Amazon: a structural equation model.
- 1Escuela Profesional de Psicología, Universidad Peruana Unión, Tarapoto, Peru.
- 2Unidad de Posgrado de Psicología, Universidad Peruana Unión, Lima, Peru.
Abstract
The transition to university is a period of heightened psychological vulnerability. This study aimed to examine the association between adaptation to university life, fear of loneliness, and depression in Peruvian first-year university students. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 345 participants selected through non-probability convenience sampling at a single private university in the Peruvian Amazon. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, the Brief Scale of Fear of Loneliness, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were administered, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The proposed model showed an adequate fit [χ² (516) = 1,478, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.940, RMSEA = 0.074, SRMR = 0.069]. Personal-emotional adjustment (β = 0.49, p < 0.001) and social adjustment (β = 0.29, p = 0.003) were positively associated with fear of loneliness, whereas academic adjustment (β = -0.34, p < 0.001) and institutional adjustment (β = -0.22, p = 0.001) were negatively associated; in turn, fear of loneliness was positively related to depression (β = 0.81, p < 0.001). Significant gender differences were found in institutional adjustment [t (343) = 2.597, p = 0.010, d = 0.29] and personal-emotional adjustment [t (343) = 3.076, p = 0.002, d = 0.34], with women reporting higher levels than men. The findings position fear of loneliness as a key affective link between first-year students' adjustment to university and their depressive symptoms, suggesting that early detection and intervention programs focused on adjustment, implemented during the first year, could help mitigate depression in this population.
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BibTeX
@article{gebolchecan2026adaptation,
title = {{Adaptation to university life, fear of loneliness, and depression in first-year students at a private university in the Peruvian Amazon: a structural equation model.}},
author = {Rosa Gebol-Checàn and Gianella Ascorbe-Peña and Royer Miguel-Mariño and Calixto Tapullima-Mori and Julio Cjuno and Jhordan Mayta-Llanos},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1935089},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952817},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Adaptation to university life, fear of loneliness, and depression in first-year students at a private university in the Peruvian Amazon: a structural equation model.
AU - Rosa Gebol-Checàn
AU - Gianella Ascorbe-Peña
AU - Royer Miguel-Mariño
AU - Calixto Tapullima-Mori
AU - Julio Cjuno
AU - Jhordan Mayta-Llanos
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1935089
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952817
AB - The transition to university is a period of heightened psychological vulnerability. This study aimed to examine the association between adaptation to university life, fear of loneliness, and depression in Peruvian first-year university students. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 345 participants selected through non-probability convenience sampling at a single private university in the Peruvian Amazon. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, the Brief Scale of Fear of Loneliness, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were administered, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The proposed model showed an adequate fit [χ² (516) = 1,478, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.940, RMSEA = 0.074, SRMR = 0.069]. Personal-emotional adjustment (β = 0.49, p < 0.001) and social adjustment (β = 0.29, p = 0.003) were positively associated with fear of loneliness, whereas academic adjustment (β = -0.34, p < 0.001) and institutional adjustment (β = -0.22, p = 0.001) were negatively associated; in turn, fear of loneliness was positively related to depression (β = 0.81, p < 0.001). Significant gender differences were found in institutional adjustment [t (343) = 2.597, p = 0.010, d = 0.29] and personal-emotional adjustment [t (343) = 3.076, p = 0.002, d = 0.34], with women reporting higher levels than men. The findings position fear of loneliness as a key affective link between first-year students' adjustment to university and their depressive symptoms, suggesting that early detection and intervention programs focused on adjustment, implemented during the first year, could help mitigate depression in this population.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -