Self-Compassion and Loneliness in Pakistani University Students: Gender and Geographical Differences

Abstract

Loneliness is recognised a serious health concern worldwide because of its significant negative impact on mental and physical health. Loneliness is the struggle between desired and actual social ties. It’s a negative emotional feeling experienced as a consequence of social isolation. This study is designed to explore the role as self-compassion as of loneliness within university students in Pakistan. Along this, to find out differences in both genders and urban settings. Utilizing cross-sectional research design the data is collected from 153 participants who are recruited through convenient sampling. they completed the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form and the UCLA Loneliness Revised Scale to assess levels of self-compassion and loneliness, respectively. The data is analysed using SPSS 30.0, analysis including pearson correlation and regression analyse. The findings indicated a significant negative correlation between self-compassion and loneliness. The results also shows that self-compassion levels were higher among students from rural areas. The study draw attention to the potential value of incorporating self-compassion training into university-based interventions aimed at reducing loneliness. It also contributes to the literature within the South Asian particularly Pakistani context and highlights the need for further exploration about how self-compassion interacts with diverse sociocultural factors in shaping experiences of loneliness.