Homesickness

Purpose: Dormitory life faces many challenges and there have been relatively many studies on this topic, therefore, the aim of the present meta-analysis was to review previous studies on dormitory life in Iran. Methodology: This was an applied meta-analysis. The study population included dormitory life studies registered in scientific databases during the years 2004-2007, and a total of twenty studies were selected as a sample based on inclusion criteria and using purposive sampling method. Data were collected by note taking method and analyzed by inverse questionnaire method and frequency and frequency percentage in SPSS ver.23. Findings: All twenty studies were reviewed based on the study method, type of study, data collection tools and techniques, sampling method and data analysis level. According to the results, dormitory life-related problems include homesickness, economic problems, lack of exercise facilities, poor food, lack of extracurricular activities, lack of study space, lack of health facilities, absence of recreational and welfare facilities, lack of recreational, scientific and research camps, absence of counselors and guides, absence of individual and group skills training workshops, lack of planning for students' holidays, dormitory rules, student congestion in rooms and public space, dormitory officials, lack of room space, no dorm assignment program, maladaptation of some students, lack of religious group activities and dormitory supervisors' unfamiliarity with student morale. Also, solutions to reduce the problems of dormitory life include increasing counseling workshops, increasing exercise facilities, increasing the quality of nutrition, holding classes and increasing managers' level of knowledge, increasing the quality of health care, the presence of counselors in dormitories, increase the number of interaction-focused dialogue sessions, increasing the number of study halls, holding recreational, scientific and research camps, increasing students' awareness of social harms, teaching strategies to reduce stress and anxiety, and holding extracurricular classes. Conclusion: Considering dormitory life-related problems and the related solutions, it is possible to provide appropriate conditions to reduce tensions and improve the quality of dormitory life by improving the dormitory conditions.

The present study compared the effectiveness of group counseling based on choice theory on homesickness and emotion of thought. Research design was quasi-experimental administering a pretest-posttest on an experimental and a control group. The population of this study included all students (female and male) referred to counseling center of Sari Payame Noor University in the academic year 2016-2017. The sample consisted of 30 participants who were randomly divided into two groups (one experimental group and one control group) (15 students in each group). Then, homesickness questionnaire and emotion of thought questionnaire were administered to both groups. For two months, the experimental group received 8 sessions of 90 minutes of group counseling based on choice theory; however, the control group did not receive any training during this period. Pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using covariance analysis. The results showed that experimental interventions (group counseling based on choice theory) reduced homesickness score, decreased impatience of thought and increased dynamics of thought in students (p<0.01). It can be concluded that group counseling of choice theory was effective in improvement of emotion of thought and decreasing homesickness.

Aim: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of self-encouragement training on the homesickness (including longing for family, desire to return home, maladjustment, feelings of loneliness, yearning for familiar people and environments) in non-native university students. Method: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test–post-test control group. The statistical population consisted of all first-year non-native university students residing in university dormitories at the Islamic Azad University of Ardabil. From this population, 30 university students were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). Data were collected using the Homesickness Questionnaire developed by Van Vliet (2001). The experimental group received 10 sessions of self-encouragement training based on the encouragement training Shwanker's model (1979). Self-encouragement training is a psychological intervention aimed at enhancing resilience and reducing negative emotions by promoting self-acceptance, recognizing personal strengths, and fostering a positive outlook on life. Data analysis was conducted using multivariate covariance analysis via SPSS software, version26. Findings: The results showed that the self-encouragement Training significantly reduced the level of homesickness in the experimental group. Specifically, the post-test mean scores of homesickness and its subcomponents significantly decreased after the intervention (p<0.01). Conclusion: The self-encouragement training significantly reduced feelings of homesickness and its related components among non-native university students. This finding demonstrates the effectiveness of this psychological intervention in improving emotional adjustment and alleviating longing for family and familiar environments. Therefore, it can be considered an effective approach for providing psychological support to non-native university students.