Loneliness, Self-Esteem, and Maladaptive Daydreaming in University Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is excessive, immersive daydreaming that causes significant distress. MD can disrupt well-being and academic functioning in university students, giving reason for the investigation of its risk factors among this population. Since loneliness, low self-esteem, and perceived stress are common among university students, the present study examined whether loneliness and self-esteem predicted MD individually, and whether perceived stress mediated these relationships. Using a cross-sectional study design with a convenience sample of 119 university students (71.40% female) aged 18–35, mediated regression analyses revealed that higher loneliness and lower self-esteem significantly predicted higher MD. Perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between loneliness and MD, and fully mediated that between self-esteem and MD. The findings indicate that university students engage in MD to compensate for unmet belongingness needs directly, and to cope with stress. Thus, interventions that target stress may reduce MD engagement and mitigate its consequences. Keywords: Maladaptive daydreaming, loneliness, self-esteem, perceived stress, university students