Homesickness and Adjustment in University Students

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 60; no. 5; pp. 415 - 419
• Main Authors: Thurber, Christopher A., Walton, Edward A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01.07.2012; Routledge; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adaptation, Psychological; Adjustment; Adolescent; Age Factors; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders; Attachment Behavior; Attention Control; College Students; Depression (Psychology); Depression - epidemiology; Educational Experience; Emotions; Empathy; Female; Foreign Students; Health Promotion; homesickness; Humans; Life Change Events; Life Style; Loneliness - psychology; Male; Mental depression; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Outcomes of Treatment; Physical Health; Prevention; Psychometrics; Risk Factors; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - prevention & control; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Student Adjustment; students; Students - psychology; Therapy; Transitions; treatment; United States - epidemiology; University students; Withdrawal (Education); Withdrawal (Psychology); Young Adult; Young Adults; United States
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2012.673520

The transition to college or university can be an exciting new experience for many young adults. For some, intense homesickness can make this move difficult, even unsustainable. Homesickness-defined as the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home-carries the unique hallmark of preoccupying thoughts of home and attachment objects. Sufferers typically report depression and anxiety, withdrawn behavior, and difficulty focusing on topics unrelated to home. For domestic and international university students, intense homesickness is particularly problematic. It can exacerbate preexisting mood and anxiety disorders, precipitate new mental and physical health problems, and sometimes lead to withdrawal from school. New research, consolidated here for the first time, points to promising prevention and treatment strategies for homesick students, the result of which can be a healthy, gratifying, and productive educational experience.