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Homesickness in First Year College Students
Shelby Winn
Concordia University
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Homesickness in First Year College Students at a Small Midwestern University
Introduction
The transition to college can be exciting and also very scary for many young adults. For some
individuals the move to college can be very smooth and easy; whereas, for others it can be
almost unsustainable. Thurber and Walton (2012) explain that individuals who experience
homesickness are often depressed or anxious, have withdrawn behavior, and have a hard time
focusing on anything that’s not related to their home. “Homesickness is the distress or
impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home” (Thurber & Walton, 2012,
p. 1). It can be hard to adjust to new schedules, make friends, and ultimately manage their new
lives.
There was a study conducted a few years ago that surveyed 101 first year college students. Of
these students, 60% reported homesickness (Longo, 2010). Homesickness is really a
phenomenon that hasn’t gotten much attention over the years and isn’t really a formal diagnostic
term, but all of the symptoms would most commonly be diagnosed as “Adjustment Disorder with
Depressed Mood” (Beck, Taylor, & Robbins, 2003, p. 157). In another study researchers focused
on the dimensions of sociotropy, which is a personality trait characterized by excessive
investment in interpersonal relationships and have a strong need for social acceptance. In
addition, they examined autonomy, which is the capacity of an individual to make an informed,
uncoerced decision (Beck, Taylor, & Robbins, 2003, p. 157). They found that both of these were
related to parts of homesickness and also depression scores. When looking at the personality side
they explained that it had appeared that attachment-related distress can explain why a person
with sociotropic traits may have a harder time with the transition to college (Beck, Taylor, &
Robbins, 2003, p. 163).
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Another study done by Urani, Miller, Johnson, and Petzel (2003) focused on the relationship
between homesickness and a number of different factors in first year college students. Some of
the findings within their first study suggested that “students who reported high levels of
homesickness had a tendency to view their home environments in positive terms, suggesting that
when they had positive experiences in their past, it made it harder for them to leave their homes
behind” (p. 392). They also found that homesick individuals had greater psychological
disturbances such as depression. In their second study (2003) they found that first year college
students who “showed signs of insecurity and poor social skills prior to entering university life
have a greater tendency to exhibit signs of homesickness during the sixth week of their first
term” (p. 392).
Statement of Problem
This topic needed to be studied because it is affecting many students around the United
States. The Journal of American College Health (2012) explained that nearly every student will
miss something about their home, but researchers can’t quickly categorize these students and say
they are homesick right away. There are many factors that lead up to homesickness and many of
the studies mentioned described them. Although homesickness is “normal”, it can be considered
problematic when it starts to interfere with a person’s functioning and starts to cause distress or
become chronic (Thurber & Walton, 2012). Further research was done to figure out how to
prevent severe homesickness and help the students relax and have an easy adjustment to college.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was a three-fold in which the author examined the prevalence of
homesickness, studied the effect of homesickness on freshman students, and examined the
coping mechanisms used by students.
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Almost all students will experience some sort of homesickness while attending college, but
this study examined how it affects first year students. One reason this study was conducted was
to look more into the topic because although there is some research out there, there isn’t a lot to
fully understand homesickness. Looking further into why an individual feels homesick can help
one understand why they choose to do certain behaviors or why they act the way they do.
Research Questions
*Is there a connection between students who live close to home versus students who live further
away from home and develop homesickness?
*What impact has homesickness had on an individual’s academic and social health?
*Is there a significant use of coping mechanisms in homesick students?
Significance
Like explained earlier, one of the reasons this topic was researched was because there isn’t a
much research available about it. Each of the studies focuses on different things such as
homesickness and religion, academic performance, social relationships, and simply adjusting to
the new college life. This study was different in that it examined some of these issues as a whole
study together rather than split apart. It focused on homesickness in first year college students
and how it affects them mentally, socially, and academically.
Definitions - (Beck, Taylor, & Robbins, 2003)
Homesickness is the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from
home.
Sociotropy is a personality trait characterized by excessive investment in interpersonal
relationships and has a strong need for social acceptance.
Autonomy is the capacity of an individual to make an informed, uncoerced decision.
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Methodology
The population in this study was first year students at a small Midwestern University,
particularly freshman. When getting information from the target population a questionnaire was
distributed through email and the responses kept confidential. The data was analyzed on which
information was important and would be useful within the study. Some of the end results from
the surveys were not relevant to the study so the author sorted through and transformed the
information.
A few questions that were asked in the study:
*How many hours do you live away from home?
*In regards to homesickness, do you experience any of the following? If so, choose which one(s)
best suit you:
Anxiety – decreased motivation – irritability – loneliness – a negative outlook – sadness – social
withdrawal – loss of confidence
*To what degree has homesickness impacted you academically? Socially?
*Are you an international student?
Data Collection and Analysis
The population that was included in this survey was first year students at a small Midwestern
University. This survey provided an overview of the prevalence of homesickness among
freshmen students. A questionnaire consisting of twelve questions was distributed through email.
Having easy multiple choice questions resulted in a greater completion rate (36%). Data was
analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics and cross tabulations.
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Discussion of Results
The population used in this study was first year college students at a small Midwestern
university and the analysis showed that homesickness is prevalent among this population group.
The questionnaire was distributed to 308 freshman students and there were 112 respondents
giving a return rate of 36%. In the study there were 74 females and 38 males. There were two
international students included in the study and they were both males.
The first question that was asked of the students was how many hours they live away from
home. The majority of participants (39%) live more than seven hours away from home. This was
the top answer for the question, but about 23% of participants live only one or two hours away
from home. About 15% of people live either zero to 60 minutes from home or three to four hours
away from home.
Figure 1
40
30
20
10
0
0-60
minutes
1-2 hours
3-4 hours
5-6 hours
7+ hours
n= Hours participants live away from home
Participants were then asked to what degree they have experienced homesickness. The
answers ranged from always to never. The answers were also significantly different between
males and females in that females showed that they experienced homesickness more often than
males. The question asked participants if they have experienced anxiety, decreased motivation,
irritability, loneliness, sadness, social withdrawal, or loss of confidence. In almost all of the
results the majority of males answered “never” and the majority of females answered
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“sometimes”. The participants were then asked what the intensity of their homesickness was. In
each of the results both females and males said the intensity was either low, extremely low, or
they did not experience it.
Figure 2 - Females
Anxiety
Decreased motivation
Irritability
Loneliness
Sadness
Social Withdrawal
Loss of confidence
n=Percent of females who sometimes experience homesickness symptoms
Homesickness can appear anytime within the first semester and participants showed that
majority of the time it appears one to two months into the semester. More females (22%)
compared to males (14%) said that their homesickness symptoms first appeared right away
within the first or second week of the semester. The numbers were spread out among the results,
but females seem to have started experiencing homesickness before males ever did. Surprisingly
there was 13% of females and 32% of males who never experienced homesickness during their
first semester at college.
40
30
20
Male
10
Female
0
First 1-2
weeks
First 3-4
weeks
1-2 months 3 months into
into the
the semester
semester
Never
n= Comparison between males and females on when homesickness first appeared
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The next two questions that were asked had to do with how homesickness has impacted the
participants either academically or socially. The majority of responders for both males and
females answered “not at all” to both of the questions. Although the majority answered “not at
all” 19% of females and 22% of males said that homesickness impacted them negatively. There
were fewer males who said that homesickness didn’t impact them at all compared to females
which is interesting because many males explained in earlier questions that they hadn’t
experienced homesickness at all.
Males
Females
Negatively
Negatively
Not at all
Not at all
Postively
Positively
n=Academic impact from homesickness
The participants were then asked about their use of different coping mechanisms. The
different coping mechanisms included calling home, skype or video chatting, journaling,
exercising, texting or emailing, overeating, and excessive sleep. A high number of both males
(58%) and females (45%) said that they call home at least one or two times a week. Few
participants said that they never call home and the remaining participants called home more than
three times a week and 9% of females called home seven or more times a week. Over fifty
percent of participants, both males and females, said they never use skype or video chatting,
journal, get excessive sleep, or overeat. One of the more positive mechanisms, exercise, was
hardly used by many of the participants. The highest result for males was never on all coping
mechanisms, but then the next was exercising seven or more times a week. About 43% of
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females said that they never exercised as a way to cope with homesickness. For texting and
emailing, females text home more frequently at about four or more times a week compared to
males who text only one or two times a week
n=How frequently different coping mechanisms were used
Next the participants were asked two questions about how often they have been home or had
a family member or relative visit them since school started. A handful of respondents have been
home three or more times and this could be because of their distance from home. The people
who went home more than three times (75%) only lived less than 60 minutes away. 79% of
students who lived seven or more hours away said that they had not been home since school
started and only nine of them had been home one time. Many of the students also didn’t have any
family or relatives visit them since school had started. Between both males and females, about
32% of them never had a family member visit them. Surprisingly, males had more visits, in a few
cases, from their family members than did females. For the most part the numbers were close.
10
40
30
20
Male
10
Female
0
Once
Twice
Three times More than 3 Have not
times
been home
n=Number of times students have been home
40
30
20
Male
10
Female
0
Never
Once
Twice
Three
times
Four times More than
4 times
n=Number of times family or relatives have visited students
Conclusions/Recommendations
It is evident that first year college students experience homesickness and this can be related to
both their gender and distance away from home. As shown in the analysis, there is a connection
between the distance from home and the severity of the homesickness symptoms. The overall
impact of homesickness on the participant’s academic and social life was relatively low or did
not impact them at all. The author thought there would be a higher use of coping mechanisms for
the students who experienced homesickness, but for the most part students hardly used coping
mechanisms. Overall, the biggest conclusion that came from this research study is that there is a
connection between the distance an individual lives away from home and their gender when it
comes to having homesickness during college.
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The school can get involved when trying to prevent homesickness among college students and
particularly freshman. The author recommends a few different strategies to help prevent
homesickness among students. The first strategy is to provide orientation information about the
school and its culture. Students who know more about the school they are going to attend helps
make them feel less anxious. The second strategy that can be implemented through the student
life offices would be to help shape attitudes about the school. Thurber and Walton (2012) state
that “the more incoming students know about what to expect and where to fund supports and
resources when they arrive, the less anxious they will feel” (p. 3). The last strategy the author
recommends is educating both new and returning students. All students should know where they
can seek help when they need it. The author also recommends that more study be done on this
topic. There hasn’t been much research on homesickness and there needs to be more focus on
how to help prevent homesickness among students and how to integrate treatment programs into
schools to help students adjust.
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Appendix A
Dear College Freshman Students,
My name is Shelby Winn, and I am a senior here at Concordia majoring in Community
Health. I am conducting a research study on homesickness among college freshmen. I am
examining the prevalence of homesickness and its effect on freshmen students as well the coping
mechanisms that are used.
I would like to invite you to participate in a survey that I am conducting. It focuses
primarily on freshman students and their level of homesickness since starting college. The
following link will take you to the online questionnaire that should take you about 5 minutes or
less to complete. Please complete this survey by Thursday November 21st.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/X32CB3S
Your responses will be kept confidential at all times and will be combined with others for
analysis. Neither you nor Concordia will be identified with specific data. Your completion of the
questionnaire implies your informed consent to be part of this study.
If you have any questions about this research study or the questionnaire feel free to
contact me at 402-910-3422 or via email at shelby.engel@cune.org or you can contact Dr. Boye
at 402-643-7236 or Vicki.Boye@cune.edu. Thank you for taking the time to be part of this
research study.
Sincerely,
Shelby Winn
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References
Beck, R., Taylor, C., & Robbins, M. (2003). Missing home: Sociotropy and autonomy and their
relationship to psychological distress and homesickness in college freshmen. Anxiety,
Stress & Coping, 16(2), 155.
Jones, D., Woosley, S. (2012). Homesickness impacts retention and academic performance. In
EBI Map-Works. Retrieved from
http://www.webebi.com/community/research/24/homesickness-impacts-retention-andacademic-performance.
Longo, G. (2010). Homesickness in college students: The moderating effect of religiousness on
the relationship between homesickness and maladjustment. Scholar Library, 7-26.
Thurber, C., Walton, E. (2012). Homesickness and adjustment in university students. Journal of
American College Health, 60(5), 415-419. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2012.673520.
Urani, M. A., Miller, S. A., Johnson, J. E., & Petzel, T. P. (2003). Homesickness in socially
anxious first year college students. College Student Journal 37(3), 392-399.