Network and homesickness in anxiety in higher education students displaced in Portugal
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Students face difficulties that are not always easy to manage in the transition to higher education [1]. Having strong social support from relevant figures in the student's life facilitates adaptation to the university environment by seeking help and reducing the effects of stress [2]. This study seeks to understand whether there is a relationship between the social support network and homesickness and anxiety in displaced higher education students in Portugal. One thousand four hundred and forty-two higher education students answered an online questionnaire on the predictors and consequences of mental health. The following scales were used: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Mental Health Inventory (MHI-18), and Homesickness Questionnaire. The results suggest that in the 196 displaced students, homesickness and social support network are significant predictors of anxiety, statistically controlling for biological sex. Homesickness is considered a risk factor for anxiety, while social support network is a protective factor in displaced higher education students in Portugal. It is important to promote social support strategies in higher education as a way of mitigating the negative effects of homesickness and reducing anxiety levels among displaced students.
Authors: Martins, Ana Margarida, Pereira, Guilherme, Santos, Helder, Ferraz, Jéssica, Venâncio, Sofia
Institution: Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7089749938
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