When Home Isn’t Home – A Study of Homesickness and Coping Strategies among Migrant Workers and Expatriates

Abstract

This paper addresses, homesickness, an important issue in the area of international human resource management. It uses psychological and sociological literature to highlight the negative effects of homesickness on migrant workers and expatriates. These effects range from psychological disruptions to physical manifestations that affect the health and welfare of individuals and impact on work performance. The paper presents a model of coping strategies used by expatriates to deal with homesickness. This model is built on the empirical evidence collected. It concludes that there is significant amount of evidence found to substantiate that homesickness is an illness and detrimental to psychological and social well-being. It is crucial that further research is undertaken in this area as affecting expatriates because the size of the investment in expatriates commands that risks of failure are minimized.

Resettlement experiences of African migrants in Australia and how they affect mental health

“…The effect of migration is evident throughout historical and recent literature (Ward 2000, Hack-Polay 2012. Ward (2000) found that migration is related to multiple losses and homesickness, which results in some migrants thinking constantly about their homeland, sleeping badly, refusing to eat food and experiencing physical weakness and anxiety.…”

Mapeamento de Estressores no Trabalho de Expedicionários do Programa Antártico Brasileiro (PROANTAR)

“…As demandas percebidas pelos primeiros desbravadores do continente gelado, com relação direta aos impactos psicofisiológicos, foram melancolia e abuso de álcool (Guly, 2012;Paul et al, 2015;Zimmer et al, 2013). Atualmente, os estudos internacionais focam a definição dos tipos de estressores predominantes no contexto ICE (Bishop et al, 2010;Hack-Polay, 2012;Kjaergaard et al, 2013;Palinkas, Keeton, Shea, & Leveton, 2011;Paul et al, 2015;Simpson, 2010;Weiss et al, 2011;Zimmer et al, 2013), ratificados nesta pesquisa.…”

“…A exposição crônica a muitos estressores é comumente observada em missões de longa duração na Antártica, com potenciais impactos negativos na saúde, no desempenho e também em aspectos de segurança do indivíduo e do grupo (Bishop et al, 2010;Hack-Polay, 2012;Kjaergaard, Leon, & Fink, 2013;Simpson, 2010;Zimmer et al, 2013). Entretanto, durante as operações de verão e temporadas de pesquisa, ocorrem eventos estressores reconhecíveis e padrões, conforme estudos observacionais e coleta de relatos de expedicionários (GongGu, Qian, & Che, 2011).…”

Expatriates’ Multiple Fears, from Terrorism to Working Conditions: Development of a Model

“…In our study, expatriates reported being frightened by the risk of becoming involved in accidents during their frequent moves from one country to another. In particular, this fear seemed to be greater for traffic accidents ( Wilks et al, 1999 ), but a fear of flying was also described ( Hack-Polay, 2012 ).…”