Associations among Solo Dining, Self-Determined Solitude, and Depression in South Korean University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sunjoo Jang, Haeyoung Lee and Seunghye Choi
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Sunjoo Jang: Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
Haeyoung Lee: Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
Seunghye Choi: College of Nursing, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: Although solo dining motivated by self-determined solitude can be a positive and healthy experience for individuals, solo dining that is not motivated by self-determined solitude can trigger physical and mental health problems. This study examined the associations among solo dining, self-determined solitude, and depression in university students. Accordingly, an online survey was conducted on 372 university students. The results show that students who live alone, those in poor health, and those with more frequent solo dining experiences had higher depression scores than others. Whereas satisfaction with solo dining was high when voluntary solitude was high, female students displayed higher depression scores when they had low self-determined solitude or high non-self-determined solitude, and when they had a higher frequency of eating lunch alone, compared to their male counterparts. University undergraduates who live and dine alone, owing to non-self-determined solitude, are highly vulnerable to mental health problems, including depression. Hence, interventions that foster social connectedness and entail the identification of factors accounting for students’ non-self-determined solitude should be developed.

Keywords: solo dining; self-determination; depression; dietary habits; eating behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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