Attachment, loneliness, and mental health of university students in Japan:

How does attachment relateto mental conditions over time under activity restrictions on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract

This study, using both the cross-lagged and synchronous effects models, examined the temporal and causal relationships between attachment and other critical psychological variables (loneliness, mental health) in university students under the restrictive conditions of campus activities due to COVID-19. The participants of the analysis were 150 university students (88 males, 62 females) who responded to two web surveys three months apart: one in early May 2020 and the other in late July or early August 2020. The main findings were: (a) AIC and BIC indicated that the cross-lagged effects model fit the data better than the synchronous effects model; (b) attachment anxiety had a negative cross-lagged effect on mental health three months later; and (c) loneliness had a positive cross-lagged effect on attachment avoidance three months later. This study’s academic contribution was to extend the previous findings about the interrelationships over time in a potentially attachment-related threat situation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and to clarify whether attachment influences loneliness and mental health in this situation or vice versa.