Test Your Knowledge

Homesickness is a natural feeling of loneliness or disorientation that occurs when people are separated from familiar people, places and routines that provide a sense of security.

In some cases, other psychological factors may also be at work. For example, children who leave home and attend sleepaway camp for the first time may feel a sense of rejection, particularly if they had no say in the decision. They may have similar feelings if their family is moving to a new city and they have to leave their friends.

People experiencing other trauma – such as a divorce in the family or the loss of a loved one – may be especially vulnerable to homesickness. Familiar people, places and routines provide an additional source of comfort during difficult times.

Certain types of people are especially vulnerable to homesickness. They include:

• Children at sleepaway camp or those who stay away from home for an extended period of time
  
  
• Teenagers who take a summer job at a camp, resort or other place far from home
  
  
• Teens who attend college in a city or state far from home
  
  
• Children and adults who move to a new city or state
  
  
• Immigrants who settle in a new country