Family Cohesion and Age as Determinants of Homesickness in University Students

Abstract

Despite the negative psychological effects associated with the transition to university, little is known about the relationship between homesickness and family functioning. One hundred first-year university students completed a questionnaire incorporating the Dundee Relocation Inventory (Fisher & Hood, 1987) measure of homesickness, and a measure of family functioning. A high level of homesickness was reported among students, with 18% of the variance in homesickness scores accounted for by family cohesion and chronological age. Implications for further research are discussed within the context of an unambiguous operationalization of homesickness and its effects.

Homesickness at College: Its Impact on Academic Performance and Retention

“…Numerous researchers (e.g., Archer, Ireland, Amos, Broad, & Currid, 1998;Brewin et al, 1989;Flett, Endler, & Besser, 2009;Kazantzis & Flett, 1998;Poyrazli & Lopez, 2007;Watt & Badger, 2009) have studied homesickness and identified risk factors in three primary categories: demographic backgrounds, environmental influences, and psychological traits.…”

“…Similarly, age plays an ambiguous role in homesickness. Some researchers (Kazantzis & Flett, 1998;Poyrazli & Lopez, 2007) reported younger people to be more likely to be homesick, but Eurelings- (Fisher, 1989;Thurber & Walton, 2012;Van Tilburg et al, 1996) Mild (Brewin et al, 1989;Fisher & Hood, 1987;Thurber & Walton, 2012) Mild effect on functioning Functioning severely hindered N/A Withdrawal from most activities Bontekoe, Vingerhoets, and Fontijn (2000) found age not to be a significant predictor. In addition, minority students have been found more likely to experience homesickness when they are on a college campus that is dominated by the White middle-class culture.…”

An Exploratory Study of Perceived Discrimination and Homesickness: A Comparison of International Students and American Students

“…Evidence indicates that age and gender are related to homesickness; that younger people tend to experience more homesickness than do older people (e.g., Kazantzis & Flett, 1998); and that women experience more homesickness than do men (Stroebe et al, 2002). However, other researchers found that age and homesickness do not have a linear relationship, but that particular age groups are more likely to experience homesickness than are others (Eureling-Bontekoe, Brouwers, & Verschuur, 2000).…”

Preventing and Treating Homesickness

“…5,37 Age, of course, is often a proxy for experience, which is the more powerful predictor. For example, an 8-year-old with lots of experience away from home has less chance of becoming homesick at summer camp than a 12-year-old with very little experience away from home.…”