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Abstract
Objective: Homesickness among university students may impact their wellbeing and academic success. The study purpose was to examine homesickness and self-reported outcomes/university life events among students on a rural Appalachian campus. Methods: A descriptive study (N = 91) using electronic questionnaires was conducted. Results: Most participants (65%) reported homesickness, especially around move-in time, with several events making it better/worse; and were more likely to reside in-state, be at the sophomore level or above, and live in an apartment/dormitory. There were significant associations between homesickness and self-reported outcomes (anxiety, depression, wanting to drop out). Conclusions: Homesickness is prevalent among rural Appalachian students. Interprofessional collaboration to identify and mitigate effects on students’ wellbeing and academic success is key. Tailoring campus life, including food options and on-campus activities, to meet student needs may promote a sense of comfort and decrease homesickness. Educational intervention to improve homesickness among university students is warranted.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Ubolrat Piamjariyakul for guidance throughout the study and Drs. Ubolrat Piamjariyakul and Saima Shafique for statistical support.
Author contributions
Katrina Roxas: IRB process, recruitment, participant consent, data collection, data export and cleaning, data analysis, data interpretation, and manuscript development.
April Shapiro: Principal investigator; study oversight, IRB process, recruitment, participant consent, data collection, data export and cleaning, data analysis, data interpretation, manuscript development, and manuscript submission.
Sheri Chisholm: Data interpretation and manuscript development.
Diana Niland: Data interpretation and manuscript development.
Michelle House: Data interpretation and manuscript development.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the West Virginia University Institutional Review Board.
Funding
No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.