Allaying loneliness in freshman medical students: an outcome of an elective course.

An empirical study of the effects of a psychiatry elective on first-year medical students' reported satisfaction with school and their reported level of loneliness is described in this article. Surveys before and after the class provided evidence that satisfaction with school decreased significantly among freshmen not taking the course. In contrast, male course participants' levels of satisfaction with school and with faculty-student relationships did not drop significantly, nor did female participants' levels of satisfaction with faculty-student relationships. Nonparticipants reported a significant increase in loneliness during the study period. In contrast, no such increase was reported by either men or women course participants.