Why do some students overcome homesickness and others drop out?
According to a study by Duke University, self-compassion may be the key to answering that question.
Researchers found that freshmen who reported higher levels of self-compassion were less likely to become homesick and ultimately drop out of school, according to the California Berkeley website, The Greater Good. (Homesick students have dropout rates three times that of non-homesick students, according to a previous study).
By its most basic definition, self-compassion is being kind or gentle to oneself. Kristen Neff, a psychologist at the University of Texas and author of the recent book "Self-Compassion", defines it by three features: kindness toward oneself, a sense of common humanity with others, and mindfulness, or a sense that one's situation is shared by the greater population.
Those who judiciously managed each feature, researchers believe, would respond more favorably to negative situations such as "failure, humiliation, and rejection" that are all common during freshman year, The Greater Good reported.
Results mostly supported their hypothesis and the three features defined by Neff. Freshmen kind to themselves were less likely to become homesick and depressed. They were also more satisfied with their social lives and choice of college. Students low in self-compassion dissatisfied with their social lives and choice of college were more likely to become homesick, The Greater Good reported.
Self-compassion wasn't an effective approach for academics. According to The Greater Good, researchers attributed this finding to students' belief in their own autonomy when it came to schoolwork and grades. That is, students felt they were mostly in control of their success in the classroom whereas they felt much less control socially or emotionally. To combat the latter issues, students used self-compassion to make light of a potentially bad social situation or ration that many students are probably going through the same thing.
Researchers believe colleges and universities should use this information to help underclassmen who may be struggling with the transition to college, The Greater Good reported. Perhaps if college students are more aware of the effectiveness of self-compassion (and aware that they are not alone in their struggles), they will be better equipped to handle the effects of homesickness, or won't become homesick at all.
