2024.09 71-4 Is Being Single Ok? Analysis of College Students' Conditions of Being Single from a Gender Perspective
Romantic relationships are regarded as a milestone in college students' developmental stage. Additionally, society
and college culture demand that they leave their single status. College students visiting counseling centers
commonly talk about romantic relationship problems. In response to college culture that emphasizes engagement
in romantic relationships, college students are frequently troubled by the stress of being single when failing to
meet this social and cultural expectation. However, research on singlehood has been neglected. This study
explored college students' emotions, attitudes, and cognitions regarding their singlehood and examined sex
differences in these psychological states. The effects of interpersonal interactions and sociocultural factors on
individual psychological states and sex differences were also examined. A questionnaire was developed from an
emic perspective, and the items were adapted from articles posted on the Dcard forum regarding experiences of
single college students. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to these items at three levels, that is, individual
psychological state, interpersonal interactions, and social culture. The questionnaire was administered online to
1,157 single college students. While singlehood was marked as a symbol of failure, exploratory factor analysis
revealed that college students had diverse thoughts about singlehood, ranging from enjoyment to anxiety. To
understand sex differences in individual psychological states, multiple regression analyses were conducted, with
anxiety about being single, enjoyment of a single life, and attribution of single status to personal traits respectively
as dependent variables, and sexual orientation and grade level as covariates. We hypothesized that sex differences
in individual psychological states are mediated by interpersonal interactions and sociocultural factors. The results
of the parallel mediation analysis are consistent with this hypothesis. Sex differences in individual psychological
states are mediated by interpersonal and sociocultural factors. The results showed that male students are more anxious about being single and more likely to attribute singlehood to personal traits than female students. By
contrast, female students were more able to enjoy their single lives than male students. Specifically, controlling for
sexual orientation and grade level, the sex differences in anxiety about being single and attribution of single status
to personal traits were fully accounted for by the interpersonal interaction factor "a sense of loneliness due to peer
pressure." The sex differences in enjoyment of single life were partially accounted for by the interpersonal
interaction factor "a sense of loneliness due to peer pressure" and sociocultural factor "social stigma about
singlehood." This study shows that single female college students are better able to liberate themselves from the
pressure of interpersonal networks and sociocultural factors. In conclusion, single male college students are more
anxious about their single status and are more likely to make internal attributions because of the pressure caused by
interpersonal networks, whereas single female college students are more able to free themselves from peer
pressure and social stigma, therefore, enjoying their single lives. Based on the results, we propose suggestions for
positive discourse on being single, providing relationship education and counseling for male students, and
analyzing the effect of parents and peers on college students' perspectives on being single. This study explored
college students' perspectives on being single and the impact of individual, interpersonal, and societal factors. To
measure the psychological state of a single person, reliable and valid inventories, such as single anxiety, need to be
developed. Additionally, qualitative research may provide a deeper contextual understanding of single individuals.
Further quantitative and qualitative research is needed to gain insight into the promotion of the well-being of a
rising single population.
Keywords
College students, gender norms, singlehood, single anxiety, relationships
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