The Relationship Between Homesickness, Coping Methods and Racial Background (2024)

Undergraduate: Penelope Alberdi

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Abramowitz
Department: Psychology and Neuroscience

---

Homesickness is a common distressing condition sometimes experienced by college students relocating for the first time. Considering its prevalence and link to greater school dropout rates and decreased mental and physical health, a greater understanding of the coping methods used to manage homesickness is needed. Moreover, clarity regarding how homesickness affects individuals of different backgrounds is crucial. The present study therefore examined the association between homesickness, distress, and coping methods across racial groups. Undergraduate participants (N = 98) completed a battery of self-report measures assessing homesickness, preferred coping strategies, and psychological distress. A set of one-way ANOVAs were utilized to test if homesickness, coping method, and distress symptom scores differed across racial groups and Pearson’s correlations were run to assess the relationship between homesickness scores and the other study measures across racial groups. African American/Black students reported greater homesickness as compared to White/Caucasian students. There were differences in coping strategies across racial groups: White/Caucasian students preferred mental escape strategies, African American/Black students preferred religious strategies, and Asian students tended to use social support, religion, and mental escape strategies. Further insight into the variables contributing to greater homesickness across racial groups would encourage the development of more targeted prevention programs and provide professionals greater cultural awareness to help guide the appropriate treatment for individuals suffering from homesickness within a university context.