Longitudinal Associations Among Trust, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: A Between‐ and Within‐Person Analysis.

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Title: Longitudinal Associations Among Trust, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: A Between‐ and Within‐Person Analysis.
Authors: Chen, Yanling (AUTHOR), Fang, Yuan (AUTHOR), Yang, Yuchuan (AUTHOR), Dong, Yan (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Personality. Feb2026, Vol. 94 Issue 1, p151-162. 12p.
Subjects: Trust, Loneliness, College students, Social capital, Longitudinal method, Quality of life, Student assistance programs, Life satisfaction
Abstract: Objective: This study aims to examine the longitudinal association between trust, life satisfaction, and loneliness, particularly at the within‐person level. Method: We employed Random Intercept Cross‐Lagged Panel Models (RI‐CLPM) to distinguish stable between‐person differences from within‐person fluctuations. A total of 1148 students (Mage = 18.46 ± 0.96 years; 63.41% women) from six Chinese universities participated in a six‐wave, 3‐year survey. Results: Trust declined slightly over time. At the between‐person level, trust was positively related to life satisfaction and negatively related to loneliness. At the within‐person level, life satisfaction at T2, T3, and T4 positively predicted trust at T3, T4, and T5, respectively, and trust at T3 positively predicted life satisfaction at T4; trust at T4 and T5 negatively predicted loneliness at T5 and T6, respectively, and loneliness at T4 negatively predicted trust at T5. In addition, exploratory analysis indicated that loneliness may mediate the effect of trust on life satisfaction. Conclusions: These findings expand our understanding of the link between social capital and health outcomes from a within‐person dynamic perspective, suggesting that enhancing social capital and well‐being may be mutually beneficial. Comprehensive student support programs that promote trust‐building and reduce loneliness may be more effective in promoting overall well‐being and social bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Personality is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Longitudinal Associations Among Trust, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: A Between‐ and Within‐Person Analysis.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Yanling%22">Chen, Yanling</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fang%2C+Yuan%22">Fang, Yuan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Yuchuan%22">Yang, Yuchuan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dong%2C+Yan%22">Dong, Yan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Personality%22">Journal of Personality</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 94 Issue 1, p151-162. 12p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trust%22">Trust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Loneliness%22">Loneliness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+students%22">College students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+capital%22">Social capital</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Longitudinal+method%22">Longitudinal method</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quality+of+life%22">Quality of life</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+assistance+programs%22">Student assistance programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Life+satisfaction%22">Life satisfaction</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: This study aims to examine the longitudinal association between trust, life satisfaction, and loneliness, particularly at the within‐person level. Method: We employed Random Intercept Cross‐Lagged Panel Models (RI‐CLPM) to distinguish stable between‐person differences from within‐person fluctuations. A total of 1148 students (Mage = 18.46 ± 0.96 years; 63.41% women) from six Chinese universities participated in a six‐wave, 3‐year survey. Results: Trust declined slightly over time. At the between‐person level, trust was positively related to life satisfaction and negatively related to loneliness. At the within‐person level, life satisfaction at T2, T3, and T4 positively predicted trust at T3, T4, and T5, respectively, and trust at T3 positively predicted life satisfaction at T4; trust at T4 and T5 negatively predicted loneliness at T5 and T6, respectively, and loneliness at T4 negatively predicted trust at T5. In addition, exploratory analysis indicated that loneliness may mediate the effect of trust on life satisfaction. Conclusions: These findings expand our understanding of the link between social capital and health outcomes from a within‐person dynamic perspective, suggesting that enhancing social capital and well‐being may be mutually beneficial. Comprehensive student support programs that promote trust‐building and reduce loneliness may be more effective in promoting overall well‐being and social bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Personality is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/jopy.13023
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 151
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Trust
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Loneliness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social capital
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal method
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      – SubjectFull: Quality of life
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student assistance programs
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      – SubjectFull: Life satisfaction
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Longitudinal Associations Among Trust, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: A Between‐ and Within‐Person Analysis.
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            NameFull: Chen, Yanling
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            NameFull: Fang, Yuan
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            NameFull: Yang, Yuchuan
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            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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