The integrating effect of homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing on international students’ mental health in Malaysia

Abstract

One of the numerous exciting experiences encountered by many young people nowadays is related to the transition linked to studying abroad. Many international students face various psychological and mental health problems. The objectives of this study were to identify the differences in mental health across demographic factors and to determine the relationships between homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing with mental health. Besides, the mediating effects of attachment and spiritual wellbeing on the relationship between homesickness and mental health were examined. Moreover, hierarchical guidelines and a structural model of mental health were developed based on the homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing constructs among international postgraduate students in Malaysia. The survey research was used as research design for this study. Through purposive and quota sampling, 442 international postgraduate students were selected from five public research universities in Malaysia. They were asked to complete a set of validated instrument which included four questionnaires of homesickness, adult attachment, spiritual wellbeing, and general health. The findings confirmed that there were significant differences in mental health according to gender, marital status, level of study and nationality. The results also showed that mental health correlated with homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing. Moreover, it was found that the influence of homesickness on mental health was mediated by attachment and spiritual wellbeing constructs. Mental health guidelines were developed hierarchically based on homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing in three levels to explore the importance of different factors in each construct. Finally, homesickness, attachment and spiritual wellbeing constructs were able to predict mental health by approximately 67 percent. Mental health could also be significantly predicted by the homesickness construct (β = .683, t = 42.538, p<.001), attachment construct (β = .125, t = 5.973, p<.001) and spiritual wellbeing construct (β = .139, t = 8.698, p<.001). Results of this study would be able to help counsellors raise awareness among international students who are studying in foreign countries. In addition, focusing on the guidelines can help administrators and lecturers in promoting good mental health among international students. This research would also contribute to enhancing mental health level among international students by introducing the positive roles of attachment and spiritual wellbeing to help reduce the negative effects of homesickness on mental health that may occur during their stay abroad.