Understanding Homesickness: Its Relationship With Psychopathology And Psychological Wellbeing Among International Students
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Abstract
Background: As the population of international students continues to expand globally, researchers are increasingly seeking ways to enrich the study abroad experience.
Aim: With this goal in mind, the present study aimed to explore the effects of homesickness on psychological well-being among international students, as well as its potential association with the emergence of psychopathological symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and stress.
Methods: A sample of 200 international students (100 males, 100 females) aged between 18 to 30 years (M= 22.92, SD= 2.35), attending various universities and drawn from diverse countries was recruited for participation. They completed measures including the Homesickness and Contentment Scale, Ryff scale of Psychological Wellbeing, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale - Short Form (DASS-21).
Results: Correlation analyses revealed a significant positive association between homesickness and psychopathologies like depression (r= 0.508, p < 0.01), anxiety (r= 0.553, p < 0.01) and stress (r= 0.408, p < 0.01), meaning that higher levels of homesickness were linked to more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Also, a significant negative association was found between homesickness and psychological wellbeing (r= -0.607, p < 0.01), indicating that as feelings of homesickness intensified, levels of psychological well-being declined. Furthermore, linear regression analyses demonstrated that homesickness significantly predicted psychopathologies such as Depression [R2 = .258, F (1, 198) = 68.75, p = .000, β= .508]; Anxiety [R2 = .306, F (1, 198) = 87.24, p = .000, β= .553]; and Stress [R2 = .167, F (1, 198) = 39.61, p = .000, β= .408]. In addition to that, homesickness was found to be a significant predictor of psychological wellbeing [R2 = .368, F (1, 198) = 115.27, p= .000, β= -.607] among international students.
Conclusion: The findings emphasized the importance of addressing homesickness as a potential risk factor for the development of psychopathology and a decline in psychological well-being among international university students. As such, the former may be useful for universities and authorities in developing interventions to promote psychological resilience and wellbeing, and to help prepare students socially and psychologically in the host culture for their future endeavors.
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References
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