NCJ Number
220535
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 30 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2007 Pages: 709-720
Date Published
October 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the role of parenting styles in the experience of homesickness, and the way of coping with the feelings involved among first-year college and university students.
Abstract
As expected, it was found that students raised by an authoritarian or uninvolved parenting style were the ones showing more internalizing and externalizing problems. Not expected was that students raised by permissive parents did not show more problems when they experienced feelings of homesickness. Results show that the way students are raised by their parents affects the development of homesickness and the way they express feelings of homesickness. Students raised by loving, accepting, and supporting parents report more and stronger feelings of homesickness, but they do not express homesickness by internalizing as well as externalizing problems. In the way of coping skills, students subjected to an authoritative or permissive parenting style use more effective coping strategies, namely problem-solving and support seeking. In addition, students raised by loving and accepting parents, and who perceive support from their parents, learn how to cope with problems successfully, including homesickness. The results suggest that parenting styles play a relevant role in the development of homesickness and the way students express their feelings of homesickness. Also, the way students cope with their problems is related to the way they have been raised by their parents. Going to college is characterized by many changes. This study examined to what extent parenting styles affected the experience and expression of homesickness by first-year college and university students, and the ways of coping with the feelings involved. The study focused on adolescents and young adults, of whom a high percentage leaves home to go to college or university. Figure, tables, references