{"id":111812,"date":"2026-09-23T13:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/uhs\/?page_id=111812"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:59:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:59:43","slug":"social-connection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/uhs\/healthpromotion\/social-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":0,"parent":206,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-111812","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"lead_in":"","display_title":"","subtitle":"","call_to_action":"","hero_image_placement":"no_image","hero_media":"images","hero_pattern_option":"","hero_video":"","hero_image_landing":"","hero_image_landing_two":"","hero_image_landing_three":"","content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"","content":"Transitions, like starting college, moving away, and living with new people, are often associated with worry, emotional <\/span>turmoil<\/span> and loneliness. Students with strong social connections experience a greater sense of belonging and report better emotional adjustment, academic adjustment, and academic persistence.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

What is Social Connection?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe <\/span>World Health Organization (WHO)<\/span><\/a> defines health as \u201ca state of complete physical, mental, and <\/span>social<\/span><\/b> well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.\u201d WHO Commission on Social Connection published a <\/span>report in 2025<\/span><\/a> examining the nature and impact of social disconnection and identified strategies to strengthen social connection and improve societal health and well-being.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSocial Connection describes how people relate and interact within 3 dimensions:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Structure - # of relationships, type of relationship, frequency of interactions, and length of interactions<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Function \u2013 type and amount of support exchanged<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Quality \u2013 whether interactions are negative (strained, conflictual, judgmental, overprotective, violent) or positive (loving, intimate, satisfying, trusting)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nStrong Social Connection provides:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n