From Familiar Faces to New Spaces: Perceived Social Network Change and Its Association With Loneliness During the Transition to University.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness among young people is a growing concern, and life transitions can create significant upheaval in social networks. The scale of these changes and their association with loneliness remains underexplored. OBJECTIVE: This study examined retrospectively recalled changes in network composition and structure across the transition to university and explored associations with loneliness. METHODS: We used social network interviews to assess 79 first-year students' networks before and after starting university, measuring loneliness post-transition; 77% of the sample were 18-21 years and 72% were female. RESULTS: Participants recalled substantial change in their network (network churn); on average 58% of social connections were gained or lost. Network change was normal and widespread. Networks became larger, less dense, more geographically dispersed, less emotionally close, more heterogeneous in composition, while perceived support remained broadly stable at population level. Greater loneliness was associated with perceived reductions in network support (B = -1.03, SE = 0.48) and greater ethnic heterogeneity within social networks (B = 1.26, SE = 0.41). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the substantial social restructuring that accompanies the transition to university. Young people reported marked changes in their social networks, characterized by expansion, diversification, and considerable network churn, suggesting that university entry represents a distinctive developmental transition requiring adaptation to new social environments.