Loneliness and transitions in meaning-in-life profiles among college students: a latent transition analysis

Meaning in life is an important psychological resource for college students, yet its heterogeneity and short-term developmental dynamics remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of meaning in life, examine transitions between profiles, and test whether loneliness prospectively predicted these transitions. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,415 college students from three universities in Henan Province, China. Participants completed assessments in September 2025 and approximately three months later, in December 2025. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis were performed using Mplus 8.0, and preliminary analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0. A three-profile solution was identified at both time points: low (T1: 26%; T2: 17%), moderate (T1: 37%; T2: 48%), and high (T1: 37%; T2: 35%) meaning-in-life profiles. From T1 to T2, the proportions of students in the low and high profiles decreased, whereas the proportion in the moderate profile increased. The moderate profile showed the greatest stability (59%), whereas the high profile was the least stable (48%). Transitions occurred in both directions: 31% of students in the low profile transitioned to the moderate profile and 16% to the high profile; 26% of those in the moderate profile transitioned to the low profile, and 34% of those in the high profile transitioned to the moderate profile. After controlling for sex and age, higher T1 loneliness was associated with greater odds of membership in the low or moderate profile rather than the high profile at T2 among students initially assigned to the low and high profiles. Meaning in life among college students is heterogeneous and can change over a relatively short period. Loneliness was prospectively associated with subsequent profile membership among students initially assigned to the low and high profiles. Among students in the high profile, greater loneliness was associated with movement toward lower profiles. Future intervention studies should examine whether reducing loneliness can prevent declines and promote greater stability in meaning in life.