More facebook,less homesick? Investigating the short-term and long-term reciprocal relations of interactions,homesickness, and adjustment among international students |
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| Institution: | 1. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Communication Science, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands;2. University of Amsterdam, Department of Communication Science, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;3. Utrecht University, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands;1. Department of Public Health Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway;2. Faculty of Health and Welfare, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway;1. Central China Normal University, China;2. University of Greenwich, UK;3. University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy;1. LUMSA University of Rome, Department of Human Sciences, Italy;2. University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Communication and Economics, Italy;3. University of Torino, Department of Psychology, Via Verdi 10, 10124, Torino, Italy;4. University of Padova, Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Italy;5. University of Torino, Department of Psychology, Italy;1. 203 Old Mill, Geography Department, University of Vermont, 05405, United States;2. Environmental Historian, Independent Scholar |
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| Abstract: | Homesickness is one of the challenges that international students may encounter when they leave home. Homesickness is associated with social interactions and sociocultural adjustment, yet the directions of associations and temporal precedence are not clear. Thus, in this study, we tested a model which proposes that face-to-face (FtF) interaction with the host-country network, and Facebook interactions with the host- and the home-country networks predict homesickness, which, in turn, predicts sociocultural adjustment. We used cross-lagged and non-lagged reciprocal effects path analyses on a three-wave panel data gathered via online surveys. The results indicated that Facebook interaction with the host-country network lowered homesickness, in the long-term and the short-term. Paradoxically, homesickness increased Facebook interaction with the host-country network in the short-term. Lastly, homesickness lowered sociocultural adjustment in the short-term. We discuss how Facebook interaction with the host-country network could provide solace to international students when they miss home; and describe the implications of these findings for Facebook use and sociocultural adjustment among international students. |
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| Keywords: | Social network site Facebook Face-to-face International students Homesickness Sociocultural adjustment |
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