EXPERIENCE OF HOMESICKNESS AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG MALAYSIAN YOUNG ADUTLS

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the young adult's perception of homesickness and coping strategy. Young adults who experience homesickness will tend to use two types of coping strategies, which they are problem focused coping and emotion focused coping. This research was conducted among 5 Malaysian young adults. The age range for participants were 19-26 years old, they all experienced homesickness and came from another state or city to Kuala Lumpur to study. The recruitment and research conducted in Kuala Lumpur. This research was conducted through a semi-structured interview by using interview questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected. The results showed that there are 7 areas that participants report missing about their home when experiencing homesickness, such as activity, animal, family, feeling and others. Besides, psychological and emotional effects were found among young adults who experience homesickness. Lastly, the coping strategy used by young adults to deal with homesickness can be concluded into two, which they are problem focused coping strategy and emotion focused coping strategy. More importantly, seeking for social support is the most common way for young adults to deal with homesickness.