Adjustment and psychosocial problems of iranian and filipino physicians in the U.S.

Abstract

A questionnaire was mailed to 2,521 Iranian and 2,938 Filipino physicians who were practicing medicine in the U.S. Six hundred ninety-five Iranians and 898 Filipinos responded. Data of a section of the questionnaire on perceived adjustment and psychosocial problems were analyzed in this study. Statistical analyses of the data (bivariate correlations, multiple regression, and factor analysis) indicated that the reported adjustment problem was related closely to psychopathological measures such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, homesickness, and low self-esteem in both nationality groups. Participation in social activities with Americans was inversely related to perceived adjustment problems. In both groups, those who had become naturalized US. citizens and those who planned to stay permanently in the US. were less likely to report adjustment problems. The relationships between perceived adjustment problems and age and total years in the US. were not significant for Iranian physicians; however, they were correlated significantly for the Filipinos, which indicates that older physicians in this group and those who had been in the U S . for a longer period of time were less likely to report adjustment problems. Other differences and similarities between the two nationality groups also were identified. , 135, 1525-1529. WORKNEH, F. (1973). The foreign medical graduate: The alienated minority of psychiatry. American Journal of Psychiatry. 130, 436-437. 54, 279-280. by region of residence and medical specialty. Delaware Medical Journal, 56, 553-557. college students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 42, 917-925. Psychology, 38, 137-141. Medicine. 25-30. ECFMG certified physicians in the U.S. Medical Care, 13, 205-209. state hospitals. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 27, 35-37. Journal of Psychiatry

Homesickness among students in two cultures: Antecedents and consequences

“…Fisher (1989) found that introversion, depression and obsession were related to homesickness, but that self-esteem was no different among homesick versus non-homesick students. In other samples, lower self-esteem has indeed been reported for homesick samples (Eurelings-Bontekoe et al, 1994;Hojat & Herman, 1985). Furthermore, Eurelings-Bontekoe et al (1994) also found higher levels of introversion, rigidity and negativism and lower levels of dominance among homesick conscripts.…”

“…Carden and Feicht (1991) studied homesickness among Turkish and American students in their own countries, but limited investigation to females. Hojat and Herman (1985) studied a sample of Iranian and Filipino individuals, but these were all resident in the USA and the sample was composed of physicians. Ward and Kennedy (1993) examined homesickness among students in different cultures, but these were all from New Zealand, residing in 23 different countries of the world.…”

Preventing and Treating Homesickness

“…26 Severe homesickness in children is associated with social problems, behavior problems, significant symptoms of depression and anxiety, coping deficits, and feelings of helplessness. 9,22,[27][28][29] In academic settings, homesickness among adolescents and young adults can be associated with nontraumatic ailments, [30][31][32] academic difficulties, [33][34][35] absentmindedness, 30,31,33,34 low self-esteem, 34,36 and/or obsessive thoughts and behaviors. 30,31 Unfortunately, data do not exist on the incidence and severity of homesickness in children with cognitive or developmental delay.…”

Associations among Homesickness, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression

“…In reviewing the literature on homesickness, we found that a wide variety of scales have been used to measure this construct. These for measuring the severity of homesickness were either developed among specific populations, like students leaving home, e.g., the Dundee Relocation Inventory (Fisher, 1989), the Utrecht Homesickness Scale (Van Vliet, Stroebe, & Schut, 1998), and the Homesickness Questionnaire (Archer, Ireland, Amos, Broad, & Currid, 1998) or were based on one single item ashng for how intensely feelings of homesickness were experienced (e.g., Hojat & Herman, 1985;Fisher & Hood, 1987;Thurber, 1995). The only exception was the S-R Homesickness Inventory, which has been used among a representative sample (Van Heck, Vingerhoets, Voolstra, Gruijters, Thijs, & Van Tilburg, 1997).…”