The Professional Counselor | Volume 13, Issue 1 41 students’ mental health struggles and loneliness (Thomas et al., 2020). Students’ struggles during this period are linked to attrition, college withdrawal, and dropout rates (Diehl et al., 2018; Fink, 2014). Social Self-Efficacy Bandura (1977) defined social self-efficacy as an individual’s beliefs about their skills for success in interpersonal interactions and social situations. He noted that individuals with high social selfefficacy had greater cognitive resourcefulness and flexibility to effectively manage their environment and motivate themselves to achieve a desired goal, which is the opposite for individuals with insecure attachment. Social self-efficacy, then, is about the individual’s perceived confidence in their ability to engage in social interactions and to take the initiative to maintain these interpersonal relationships. Consequently, higher social self-efficacy is important for building and maintaining interpersonal relationships and for engaging in social gatherings (Kim et al., 2020). These engagements can then help in staving off loneliness. People who are lonely are assumed to possess less interpersonal competence than individuals who are not lonely, and research often points to a positive correlation between poor social skills and loneliness (Moeller & Seehuus, 2019). Attachment Theory Attachment theory is an established framework that describes the impact of early bonding with caregivers as a foundation for subsequent close relationships across the life span (Ainsworth, 1985; Bowlby, 1973). These theorists posited two major attachment types: secure and insecure attachment. Available, sensitive, and supportive bonding experiences with caregivers contribute to a sense of connectedness and security resulting in the development of secure attachment and a healthy internal model of self and others (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2014). That is, these experiences create a positive view of self and others. On the other hand, individuals who experienced unsupportive, frustrated, and fractured caregiving emerge with insecure attachment styles, which lead to difficulties with relationships in later life. Insecure attachment is characterized in two dimensions—avoidant and anxious attachment styles. Individuals with high anxious attachment style tend to be fearful of being rejected or abandoned by others and have a negative working model of self; that is, they may hold a negative perception of their worthiness. Those with avoidant attachment fear intimacy and being dependent on others and hold a negative working model of others (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2014; Zhu et al., 2016). Individuals with insecure attachment styles may lack prosocial skills and engage in negative coping strategies (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2014, 2019). For example, individuals with high anxious attachment may “rely on hyperactivating strategies . . . to achieve support and love,” and when the support and love are not provided, individuals may then experience anger and despair (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2014, p. 36). Conversely, those with high avoidant attachment may use detachment and deactivated strategies to protect themselves; they tend to push others away, “avoiding closeness and interdependence in relationship” (p. 36). These maladaptive behaviors may result in greater feelings of loneliness, as these individuals may experience lower satisfaction in their relationships. Loneliness, Attachment, and Social Self-Efficacy The relationship between attachment styles established in early childhood and feelings of loneliness in early adulthood is well documented (Akdoğan, 2017; Benoit & DiTommaso, 2020; Klausli & Caudill, 2021). Higher levels of attachment security correlated with lower levels of loneliness in undergraduate students (Benoit & DiTommaso, 2020). As young adults transition to college life, their social network shifts from the family domain to peers. An individual’s ability to
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