Associations among Homesickness, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression

Elderly's Homesickness: Development of Elderly Homesickness Questionnaire

Introduction

Homesickness is a result of migration, and is related to adjustment difficulties and health problems, as well as clinical disorders. The aim of this study was to measure and explore the homesickness of Chinese elderly.

Methods

A total of 355 non-local Chinese elderly in Shenzhen were recruited to measure demographic information and homesickness. and tested for reliability and validity. Patterns and influences of homesickness among Chinese elderly were explored through latent profile analysis and One-way ANOVA on the basis of EHQ.

Results

A three-factor structure was verified in the 19-item elderly homesickness questionnaire (EHQ), namely "positive contact", "refusal to separate" and "homesickness behavior". The EHQ reports high validity and reliability. Chinese elderly had a high degree of homesickness, and homesickness among Chinese elderly varied significantly across variables such as age, occupation, and education level. Four homesickness patterns were found in Chinese elderly, named low homesick group, moderate homesick group, middle-high homesick group, and high homesick group. Coming from rural/urban areas and living with grandchildren are factors that affect classification.

Conclusion

The present study reveals the high validity and reliability of the EHQ among Chinese elderly. The Chinese elderly reported high levels of homesickness, which varied significantly across levels of demographic factors. Four patterns of homesickness were found among the Chinese elderly, coming from rural/urban areas and living with grandchildren are the factors that affect classification. There may be a masking of the male contribution to the main effect due to the larger female sample.

Homesickness in asylum seekers: The role of mental health and migration-related factors

BACKGROUND

While homesickness in refugees is a recurring theme in clinical practice, respective research in this population is scarce. The Utrecht Homesickness Scale (UHS) allows distinguishing between certain aspects of homesickness, namely genuine separation distress like missing family and friends or yearning for home on the one side and problems regarding adjustment to the new situation on the other; so far, the instrument was applied mainly in samples of university students, and never in refugees.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to explore homesickness in a refugee population and its association with mental health symptoms and migration-related factors. In addition, we wanted to evaluate the UHS's factor structure in a sample other than students.

METHODS

Individuals from different countries (N = 99) seeking asylum in Germany were assessed for homesickness, migration-related variables (e.g., number of losses and stage of the asylum proceedings), and mental health symptoms (symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief). After exploratory factor analysis, standardized mean factors scores were fed into subsequent correlational and regression analyses to identify the most prominent predictors of homesickness scores.

RESULTS

The participants showed substantial levels of homesickness. We found a three-factor solution that implied distinct factors regarding (1) adjustment difficulties and loneliness, (2) ruminations about home, and (3) missing family and/or friends. The total homesickness score was associated with mental health but regression analyses with the three mean factor scores showed differential associations with mental health and migration-related variables. While adjustment difficulties and loneliness were-besides time since arrival in Germany-associated with mental health problems (depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms), ruminating about home was predicted by migration-related variables (number of losses and asylum status). For the factor scores regarding missing family and/or friends, the regression model was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The assessment of homesickness in refugee populations is feasible and of clinical importance, especially when distinguishing between separation distress and difficulties with adjusting to the new situation.

State and Trait Anxiety Among University Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Negative Affectivity, Alexithymia, and Housing Conditions

Objective

Starting university education is a crucial period for the mental health of students, who report higher levels of distress compared to the general population. This study sought to better understand the distress experienced by students by considering contextual facets (e.g., housing conditions) as well as stable clinical variables (e.g., negative affectivity, emotion regulation, and anxiety).

Methods

A total of 177 University students (71.2% females) aged 18-29 were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening Scale, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20.

Results

University students showed concerning levels of distress, particularly concerning anxiety, and depression. We found that the relationship between negative affectivity and both state and trait anxiety was mediated by alexithymia but housing conditions did not act as a moderator for the indirect effect of negative affectivity on state or trait anxiety through alexithymia.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, university lifestyle can be demanding, but experiencing distress is not inevitable nor inexplicable. The present study sought to gain insight into the anxiety experienced by Italian University students while taking into account the importance of personality and clinical characteristics that have previously been widely underestimated. We found that these characteristics can be of extreme importance for developing preventative and therapeutic interventions tailored to the clinical characteristics of students, as well taking into account their living environment.

The effects of brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and homesickness among international students in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Students who go to other countries for higher education face various psychological problems, particularly homesickness and depression. The objectives of this study were to: (a) identify differences between students who did and did not receive brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression to reduce homesickness; (b) identify whether brief individual CBT for depression reduces the level of homesickness in students between pre-, post- and follow-up assessment; and (c) compare the scores of students experiencing only homesickness and those experiencing both homesickness and depression.

METHOD

The sample consisted of 520 first-year undergraduate international students. The experimental group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received seven sessions of brief individual CBT for depression to reduce homesickness. The control group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received one session of advice and suggestions. The comparison group contained students who experienced only homesickness and did not receive any interventions. The study used the comparison group to determine if an interaction effect existed between students experiencing only homesickness and students experiencing both homesickness and depression.

RESULTS

Students who received brief individual CBT displayed a significant reduction in their homesickness and depression scores compared to the scores of students in the control group. Students who experienced only homesickness exhibited a significant reduction in the scores on homesickness in the post-assessment compared to the control group's post-assessment homesickness scores.

LIMITATION

The results of this study cannot be generalized as data were collected from three universities in Malaysia. The follow-up assessment was conducted six months after the post-assessment, which also limits generalizability beyond six months.

CONCLUSION

Overall, homesickness is considered a normal reaction. Brief individual CBT for depression is effective in reducing homesickness and depression among international students.

Path Analysis of Acculturative Stress Components and Their Relationship with Depression Among International Students in China

Acculturative stress prevents international students from adapting to the host culture, increasing their risk for depression. International students in China are a growing and at-risk population for acculturative stress and depression. With data from the International Student Health and Behaviour Survey (Yu et al., ) in China, seven acculturative stress components were detected in a previous study (Yu et al., ), including a central component (self-confidence), three distal components (value conflict, identity threat and rejection) and three proximal components (poor cultural competence, opportunity deprivation and homesickness). The current study extended the previous study to investigate the relationship between these components and depression with data also from International Student Health and Behaviour Survey. Participants were 567 students (59% male, 40.4% African, mean age = 22.75, SD = 4.11) recruited in Wuhan, China. The sample scored high on the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (M = 92.81, SD = 23.93) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (M = 0.97, SD = 0.53). Acculturative stress was positively associated with depression; the association between the three distal stress components and depression was fully mediated through self-confidence, while the three proximal components had a direct effect and a self-confidence-mediated indirect effect. These findings extended the value of the previous study, highlighted the central role of self-confidence in understanding acculturative stress and depression and provided new data supporting more effective counselling for international students in China. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Homesickness and adjustment in university students

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.

Association between coping with anger and feelings of depression among youths

OBJECTIVES

I examined the association, among youths, between coping behavior when angry and depression.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children in the United States survey (n=9938). Factor analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between self-reported coping behavior when angry and depression. Gender-specific models were run.

RESULTS

Factor analysis of 11 coping behaviors indicated a 4-factor solution: substance use, physical activity, emotional coping behavior, and aggressive behavior. Substance use, emotional coping, and aggressive behavior coping were associated with increased likelihood of depression, whereas physical activity was associated with decreased likelihood of depression. Male youths were more likely to engage in physical activity and were less likely to feel depressed.

CONCLUSIONS

These data provide preliminary evidence of a link between specific coping behavior when angry and the likelihood of depression among youths. Whether these associations may be useful in identifying youths at risk for depression cannot be determined from these data alone but may be an important area for future study.