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The Surgeon General announced last March that the US is facing a Loneliness Epidemic. About 1 in 2 adults report experiencing loneliness and social isolation. The report found that young people were among the most vulnerable groups in society.
Attending college used to be considered a social endeavor, as much as an academic one. The friends you make in college become the cornerstone of your professional network later in life. The advisory reported that 15-24 year olds today however, experience 70% less time with their friends than their counterparts two decades earlier.
Implications for Policy and Practice
The Lumina Foundation and Gallup found that "more than half (55%) of students who considered stopping out in 2022 cited emotional stress as the reason they considered leaving, and almost half (47%) considered stopping for mental health reasons."
On the frontlines of the loneliness crisis, faculty additionally reported students approaching them more frequently regarding mental health concerns. In a 2023 Course Hero survey of 1,000 educators, 46% said their students come to them with a mental health concern multiple times per month or more. About one in five faculty respondents (21%) said they receive mental-health related requests for extensions or accommodations weekly or multiple times a week.
University leadership, in cooperation with policymakers, need to prioritize developing the social infrastructure within higher education to see improvements. The Surgeon General's Advisory repeatedly outlined the importance of researchers and government officials working together to develop a national set of metrics to define and measure sense of belonging and social connectedness; alongside implementing evidence-based solutions to address the issue.
Mentorship as a Strategy to Foster Belonging and Social Connection
The US Surgeon General’s Advisory outlined the three vital components of social connection: Structure, Function, and Quality. Mentorship is an example of a relationship that serves a core need and fosters students’ sense of belonging in educational settings. The Advisory Group urges educational leaders to invest in evidence-based peer-led programming that fosters belonging.
The lack of quality social connections inhibits student progression even in higher education settings. For example, among medical students, feeling socially isolated is associated with dropping out. (Maher BM, Hynes H, Sweeney C, et al. 2013)
Jazmin is a student at Cal State Northridge and signed up to be matched with a mentor as part of CSUN Mentor Connect, an opportunity offered to all incoming students at CSUN. At a time when Jazmin faced loneliness, was dealing with grief, and overwhelmed by starting college, her mentor was there for her.
Quality social connections can occur by accident but that can’t be relied upon anymore. Mentor Collective’s intentionally designed mentorship model ensures that every student has a high quality social connection to a peer.
Want to learn more about how Mentor Collective has supported over 200,000 students at 180+ colleges and universities through mentorship?