Remedying transient loneliness in university students

ISRCTN	ISRCTN41755922
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN41755922
Sponsor	Radboud University Nijmegen
Funder	Radboud Universiteit

Submission date: 29/05/2026
Registration date: 29/05/2026
Last edited: 29/05/2026

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Prof Jana Vyrastekova
Scientific, Principal investigator, Public

Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg, PO Box 9102
Nijmegen
6500HC
Netherlands

ORCID ID	0000-0003-4233-2962
Phone	+31 (0)6 55 863 483
Email	jana.vyrastekova@ru.nl

Study information

Primary study design	Interventional
Allocation	Non-randomized controlled trial
Masking	Open (masking not used)
Control	Uncontrolled
Assignment	Parallel
Purpose	Supportive care
Scientific title	Remedying transient loneliness: pre-post evidence on a university intervention (RECONNECT)
Study acronym	RECONNECT
Study objectives	University students frequently experience loneliness and reduced well-being. Scalable, low-cost interventions that promote social inclusion and prevent deterioration of well-being are needed. We developed and evaluated RECONNECT, a cost-effective, institutionally embedded intervention designed to reduce transient loneliness and enhance student well-being through induced self-selection of students experiencing transient loneliness and through a structured social engagement with faculty and among each other.
Ethics approval(s)	Approved 20/04/2022, Ethics Assessment Committee Faculty of Law and Nijmegen School of Management (EACLM) (Radboud Universiteit, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, Montessorilaan 10, Nijmegen, 6525 HR, Netherlands; +31 (0)24 361 23 01; eaclm@ru.nl), ref: Nr. 2022-05
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Transient loneliness among university students
Intervention	RECONNECT consisted of three plenary meetings featuring university faculty as role models, followed by informal networking sessions and three structured small-group challenges. Alongside the interventions, participants and non-participants completed structured survey questionnaires
Intervention type	Behavioural
Primary outcome measure(s)	Loneliness measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale at before the start of the intervention and after the end of the intervention
Key secondary outcome measure(s)
Completion date	31/08/2025

Eligibility

Participant type(s)
Age group	Mixed
Lower age limit	17 Years
Upper age limit	30 Years
Sex	All
Target sample size at registration	457
Total final enrolment	457
Key inclusion criteria	1. University students 2. Experiencing (transient) loneliness
Key exclusion criteria	1. Not university students 2. Not experiencing (transient) loneliness
Date of first enrolment	20/04/2022
Date of final enrolment	31/08/2025

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Netherlands

Study participating centres

Results and Publications

Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No

Editorial Notes

29/05/2026: Study's existence confirmed by the Ethics Assessment Committee Faculty of Law and Nijmegen School of Management (EACLM).