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

Introduction 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. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional st...

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Autores principales: Rosa Gebol-Checàn, Gianella Ascorbe-Peña, Royer Miguel-Mariño, Calixto Tapullima-Mori, Julio Cjuno, Jhordan Jhonny Mayta Llanos
Formato: Artículo
Lenguaje:inglés
Publicado: 2026
Materias:
college adjustment
fear of loneliness
depression
first-year students
transition to higher education
social adaptation
academic adjustment
institutional adaptation
personal-emotional adjustment
gender differences
Peruvian Amazon
private university students
Student Stress and Coping
Higher Education Research Studies
Health and Well-being Studies
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Sumario:Introduction 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. Methods 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). Results The proposed model showed an adequate fit [ χ ² (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. Discussion 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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