Homesickness, Depression and Happiness in University Students of Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

Background and aims: Students are exposed to multiple various mental disorders. One of the most important difficulties the students encounter are homesickness and depression the occurrence of which cause less happiness in the students. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship among 3 factors of homesickness, depression, and happiness in dormitory students of Hamedan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 387 dormitory students of Hamedan University of Medical Sciences from January to April 2016. The participants of the study were selected through stratified random sampling technique with proportional allocation. Data were collected through self-reporting and four questionnaires including demographic data questionnaire, homesickness Benfleet questionnaire, University Students Depression Inventory (USDI), and Oxford happiness questionnaire. A quantitative analysis of the inquiry was performed using SPSS software, version 23. Results: The results showed that depression had an indirect relationship (-0.6) with happiness. That is, by increasing the depression scores happiness will decrease. In addition, depression had a significantly direct relationship (0.3) with homesickness. It implies that an increase in homesickness score leads to an increase in depression score. Moreover, homesickness had a significantly indirect relationship (-0.2) with happiness. Namely, an increase in homesickness, results in a decrease in happiness. Conclusion: In view of the results obtained and given the importance of mental health of the students in dormitories, it seems that the reasons related to homesickness and depression should be recognized and included in intervention and prevention programs. Besides, appropriate interventions must be designed and implemented in this regard.

Depression among the Non-Native International Undergraduate Students Studying Dentistry in Bangladesh

“…Adapting to a new environment and the absence of familiar surroundings tend to affect students’ mood and stress levels [ 31 ]. As stated in two studies by Moeini, Biasi, and their colleagues, “depression is one of the homesickness components,” as is reflected in our study [ 32 , 33 ]. Those who are homesick are 2.5 times more likely to be depressed.…”

“…Stressors such as the authoritarian style teaching/education and poor feedback from faculties might cause great distress among students [ 3 , 33 ]. In Asian educational institutes, the relation between teacher and student is very formal, which may hinder better support and cooperation.…”

“…In Asian educational institutes, the relation between teacher and student is very formal, which may hinder better support and cooperation. A study conducted in a Greek dental school found that an informal academic connection between student and teacher provides a positive environment [ 33 ]. Our research shows that students who received full intellectual interaction did not suffer from depression in contrast to those with poor academic interaction.…”

Homesickness, Anxiety and Depression among Pakistani International Students in Indonesia during Covid-19 Outbreak

“…One of the main challenges that Pakistani students experience during their stays in Indonesia is homesickness. It is explained as defined as a motivational and emotional situation which is characterized by the excessive desire and preoccupation of mind with thoughts of going back to the native countries and eventually lead to the absence of reassurance and increase the probability of developing depression and anxiety (7) .Depression is a disorder that negatively affects the someone's feeling and characterized by lethargy and the loss of appetite with increased sense of bad thinking and reduced concentration in diverse dailyactivities, cognitive performances and the development of insomnia (8) . The study findings of published researches disclosed that the higher people get exposed to hard-pressing conditions, thelower his/her happiness will be.…”

“…The study findings of published researches disclosed that the higher people get exposed to hard-pressing conditions, thelower his/her happiness will be. This was documented as a potential threat which affect people's mental health and lead to homesickness, anxiety and depression of different degrees (7) . By giving a great consideration to various published research works from different parts of the world, there are no published findings discussing about the pervasiveness of homesickness, anxiety and depression among Pakistani international students in Indonesia during Covid-19 outbreak.…”