Relationship of Inferiority Feeling to Happiness among Students: The Mediating Role of Loneliness

Authors
seddigheh yaghubi 1
Zohreh Majdabadi Farahani 2
1 Payame Noor University Garmsar
2 Payame Noor University Tehran
Abstract
Considering the importance of happiness in people's lives and understanding the factors affecting the feeling of happiness, this study aimed to test a model explaining happiness based on feelings of inferiority and loneliness. The study design was non-experimental in which the correlation research method and the advanced statistical method of structural equation modeling were used. A total of 210 students (134 females, 76 males) were selected from Payam Noor University, Taibad, using available sampling in the second semester of 2021-2022. In addition to the demographic questionnaire, the research participants completed the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Hills & Argyle, 2002), the Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1996) and the Inferiority Feeling Scale (Yao, et al., 1998). Correlational analysis indicated that there was a negative and significant relationship between loneliness and happiness, a positive and significant relationship between loneliness and feeling of inferiority, and a negative and significant relationship between loneliness and happiness. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that loneliness completely mediates the relationship between inferiority feelings and happiness. The findings suggested that the feeling of inferiority decreased college students’ happiness only by increasing their feeling of loneliness. Since loneliness affects happiness only through loneliness, considering the role of happiness in the health and academic success of students, developing and implementing preventive interventions for increasing happiness and reducing loneliness in students at the university level recommended.


Keywords
Happiness
inferiority feeling
University Students
loneliness
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