Factors Affecting Loneliness in Overseas Students: A Scooping Review
Abstract
Overseas students have a high risk of experiencing loneliness due to increased social demands and feelings of homesickness. There have been many studies on factors affecting loneliness in overseas students, but there has been no explanation that discusses cultural factors, social isolation, social support, discrimination, geography and adaptation. Objective: This study was conducted to explore research findings related to factors that influence loneliness in overseas students. Methods: Researchers used the scoping review method to get a clear picture of the factors that influence loneliness in overseas students. A literature search was conducted using the keywords “loneliness factor” AND “overseas” AND “students”. The databases used were Sciencedirect, Scopus, and Pubmed. Inclusion criteria were articles from publications in the last 5 years (2019-2023), articles in English, quantitative and qualitative research with the research population in the form of loneliness in overseas students, the article was accessible. Screening was stepwise and documented according to the PRISMA flowchart. Results: Based on identification, there were 224 articles from sciencedirect, scopus, and pubmed. 9 articles were obtained that fit the criteria after going through the selection process. Researchers used the PEO question format (population, exposure, results) to find related research articles. Conclusion: Based on the analysis of 9 literatures, it is concluded that loneliness in overseas students is influenced by many factors such as cultural factors, social support, discrimination, geography, and adaptation.
References
Alasmari AA. (2023). Challenges and social adaptation of international students in Saudi Arabia. Heliyon 9(5). Available from: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2s2.085159603882&doi=10.1016%2Fj.heliyon.2023.e16283&partnerID=40&md5=68ea03aec1ae4f29e1ecc25ebbf5a6ed
Arksey, H., & O‘Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8, 19–32
Cahyadi MD.(2019). Loneliness and psychological well-being on international students of the darmasiswa program at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta. Psychol res interv ;2(2):1–12.
De Jong Gierveld, J., & Tilburg, V. T.(2010). The de jong gierveld short scale for emotional and social loneliness: tested on data from 7 countries in the un generations and gender surveys. European journal of ageing;7:121-130
Ghiggia, A., Castelli, L., Adenzato, M., & Di Tella, M. (2023). Emotional competencies and psychological distress: is loneliness a mediating factor? scandinavian journal of psychology, available from https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12987
Heinberg LJ, Steffen K. (2021). Social Isolation and Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Weight. Curr Obes Rep.10(3):365–70.
Heu LC, van Zomeren M, Hansen N. (2020). Far away from home and (not) lonely: Relational mobility in migrants’ heritage culture as a potential protection from loneliness. Int J Intercult Relations. 77(May):140–50. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.05.005
Iyer, R. B., Vadlapudi, S., Iyer, L., Kumar, V., Iyer, L., Sriram, P., Tandon, R., Morel, Y., Kunamneni, H., Narayanan, S., Ganti, A., Sriram, S., Tandon, R., Sreenivasan, S., Vijayan, S., & Iyer, P. (2023). Impact of the heartfulness program on loneliness in high schoolers: randomized survey study. Applied psychology: health and well-being,15(1), 66–79. Available from https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12360
Luhmann M, Buecker S, Rüsberg M. (2023). Loneliness across time and space. Nat Rev Psychol. 2(1):9–23.
Munn, Zachary, Micah D. J. Peters, Cindy Stern, Catalin Tufanaru, Alexa McArthur, and Edoardo Aromataris. (2018). “Systematic Review or Scoping Review? Guidance for Authors When Choosing between a Systematic or Scoping Review Approach.” BMC Medical Research Methodology 18(1). doi: 10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x
Okiki C, Giusmin G, Hunter L. ‘Only for the white’. (2023). A qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic midwifery students. Nurse Educ Today [Internet] 131:105982. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260691723002769
Phillips R, Seaborne K, Goldsmith A, Curtis N, Davies A, Haynes W, et al. (2022). Student loneliness through the pandemic: How, why and where? Geogr J 188(2):277–93. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/geoj.12438
Rantepadang, A., & Gery, AB. (2020). Hubungan psychological well-being dengan loneliness. Nutrix journal; 4(1), 59. Available from https://doi.org/10.37771/nj.vol4.iss1.428
Renata R, Eva N. Immigrant students : An investigation on loneliness and psychological well-being. 4(3):103–16.
Riyadi NS, Rohmah N, Qoyyimah H. (2023). The effect of friendship on loneliness in post-pandemic overseas students.(1):188-206. Available from: https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v8i19.14363
Wang K, Li Y, Yang Y, Zhang T, Luo J. (2023). The role of loneliness and learning burnout in the regulation of physical exercise on internet addiction in Chinese college students. BMC Public Health;23(1):1–10
Yokoya S, Suzuki K, Sai A, Yamauchi T. (2023). Exploring the Barriers and Coping Strategies Faced by Male Nursing Students in Japanese Nursing Education. Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci) [Internet]. 17(4):219–25. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2023.08.003
Zheng K, Johnson S, Jarvis R, Victor C, Barreto M, Qualter P, et al. (2023). The experience of loneliness among international students participating in the BBC Loneliness Experiment: Thematic analysis of qualitative survey data. Curr Res Behav Sci ;4. Available from: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.085160239329&doi=10.1016%2Fj.crbeha.2023.100113&partnerID=40&md5=d78890787972f5158efc0d948335a179
Copyright (c) 2025 Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
