The longitudinal association between loneliness and self-esteem among Chinese college freshmen

This study examined the between- and within-person associations between loneliness and self-esteem among college freshmen using random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. 1183 Chinese first-year students (716 females, Mage = 18.61) reported on their loneliness and self-esteem 3 times over a year. At the between-person level, loneliness was negatively associated with self-esteem. At the within-person level, although increments in loneliness predicted decrements in self-esteem, increments in self-esteem did not predict decrements in loneliness over time. The findings suggested that reducing college freshmen's loneliness may boost their self-esteem, but boosting self-esteem may not help reduce their loneliness feelings.