Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the mediating effect of rumination in the relationship between loneliness and resilience. A total of 376 university students, 173 males and 203 females, participated in the study voluntarily. The measurement tools used in the study included the Brief Resilience Scale, the Rumination Scale for Interpersonal Errors, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method was preferred for data analysis and bootstrapping method was also used to increase the reliability of the results. The results of the study show that there is an inverse relationship between loneliness and resilience. In addition, a positive relationship was found between loneliness and rumination; it was found that individuals with high loneliness levels were more likely to ruminate. Structural Equation Modelling supported that rumination played a partial mediating role in the relationship between loneliness and resilience. Furthermore, bootstrapping analysis confirmed that this mediation relationship was statistically significant. In conclusion, this study reveals that university students who experience loneliness have both an increased tendency to engage in rumination and a decreased resilience. It has been stated that rumination is an important link between loneliness and resilience, but loneliness can negatively affect resilience independently of rumination. These findings emphasise that the role of rumination should be taken into consideration in developing strategies for coping with loneliness.