Rosner Rita, Hagl Maria, Bücheler Leonie, Comtesse Hannah
Department of Psychology, Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Eichstaett, Germany.
Freelance Researcher, Munich, Germany.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 31;13:1034370. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1034370. eCollection 2022.
While homesickness in refugees is a recurring theme in clinical practice, respective research in this population is scarce. The (UHS) allows distinguishing between certain aspects of homesickness, namely genuine separation distress like missing family and friends or yearning for home on the one side and problems regarding adjustment to the new situation on the other; so far, the instrument was applied mainly in samples of university students, and never in refugees.
We aimed to explore homesickness in a refugee population and its association with mental health symptoms and migration-related factors. In addition, we wanted to evaluate the UHS's factor structure in a sample other than students.
Individuals from different countries ( = 99) seeking asylum in Germany were assessed for homesickness, migration-related variables (e.g., number of losses and stage of the asylum proceedings), and mental health symptoms (symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief). After exploratory factor analysis, standardized mean factors scores were fed into subsequent correlational and regression analyses to identify the most prominent predictors of homesickness scores.
The participants showed substantial levels of homesickness. We found a three-factor solution that implied distinct factors regarding (1) adjustment difficulties and loneliness, (2) ruminations about home, and (3) missing family and/or friends. The total homesickness score was associated with mental health but regression analyses with the three mean factor scores showed differential associations with mental health and migration-related variables. While adjustment difficulties and loneliness were-besides time since arrival in Germany-associated with mental health problems (depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms), ruminating about home was predicted by migration-related variables (number of losses and asylum status). For the factor scores regarding missing family and/or friends, the regression model was not significant.
The assessment of homesickness in refugee populations is feasible and of clinical importance, especially when distinguishing between separation distress and difficulties with adjusting to the new situation.
虽然难民的思乡之情在临床实践中是一个反复出现的主题，但针对这一人群的相关研究却很匮乏。思乡量表（UHS）能够区分思乡之情的某些方面，一方面是诸如想念家人和朋友或渴望家乡等真正的分离痛苦，另一方面是适应新环境方面的问题；到目前为止，该工具主要应用于大学生样本，从未在难民中使用过。
我们旨在探讨难民群体中的思乡之情及其与心理健康症状和移民相关因素的关联。此外，我们想在学生以外的样本中评估思乡量表的因子结构。
对在德国寻求庇护的来自不同国家的99名个体进行了思乡之情、移民相关变量（如损失数量和庇护程序阶段）以及心理健康症状（抑郁症状、创伤后应激症状和持续性悲伤症状）的评估。在探索性因子分析之后，将标准化平均因子得分输入后续的相关性和回归分析中，以确定思乡得分最显著的预测因素。
参与者表现出相当程度的思乡之情。我们发现了一个三因子解决方案，意味着不同的因子分别为：（1）适应困难和孤独感；（2）对家乡的反复思考；（3）想念家人和/或朋友。思乡总分与心理健康相关，但对三个平均因子得分进行的回归分析显示，其与心理健康和移民相关变量存在不同的关联。虽然适应困难和孤独感——除了抵达德国后的时间之外——与心理健康问题（抑郁和创伤后应激症状）相关，但对家乡的反复思考是由移民相关变量（损失数量和庇护状态）预测的。对于想念家人和/或朋友的因子得分，回归模型并不显著。
评估难民群体中的思乡之情是可行的且具有临床重要性，尤其是在区分分离痛苦和适应新环境困难时。
