Network and homesickness in anxiety in higher education students displaced in Portugal

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.