Homesickness in a School in the Australian Bush

Abstract

Homesickness i aterm for the distress reaction that afflicts many of those who leave home to reside in educational and vocational institutions. This study focused on self-reported homesickness in those who resided for a year at a mixed-sex "outward bound" boarding school that is a branch of a parent school in a town. The boarding school is situated in the Australian Bush. Three groups of pupils were identified: (a) those who had boarded previously at the parent school (previous boarders), (b) those who had not boarded previously but who had attended the parent school as day-school pupils (previous day pupils), and (c) those who had neither boarded previously nor come from the parent school (new pupils). In terms of incidence of homesickness, new pupils reported the highest incidence of homesickness. Previous boarders reported a higher incidence of homesickness than the previous day pupils. These differences were not apparent when homesickness level was assessed in terms of frequency of experience. Sex differences in homesickness reporting, however, were apparent - girls reported higher frequencies. The homesick were also found to perceive higher demand and lower control than they would prefer. Girls' stated preferences indicated lower control and demand than boys'. Homesickness reporting may be causally associated with job strain in the new environment, but the direction of causation isnot clear.