Explore the Impact of Homesickness, Depression, and Consciousness on Hosteled Students' Academic Procrastination

Background: Homesickness, an emotional state triggered by separation from familiar environments, has been identified as a significant factor affecting mental health and academic performance in students, particularly those living in hostels. Existing literature links homesickness with increased feelings of anxiety and depression, which in turn may contribute to academic procrastination. Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationships among homesickness, depression, conscientiousness, and academic procrastination in hosteled students, with an emphasis on understanding how these factors interact to influence academic outcomes. Methods: A correlational research design was employed to assess the impact of homesickness, depression, and conscientiousness on academic procrastination among 150 hosteled students. Standardized tools including the Yearning in Situations of Loss scale (YSL), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), Big Five Inventory (BFI), and Academic Procrastination Scale (APS) were utilized for data collection. Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25 to analyze the data. Results: Homesickness was significantly correlated with anxiety (r=.373, p<.01) and stress (r=.33, p<.01). Conscientiousness showed a positive correlation with gender (r=.204, p<.05) and was associated with higher levels of academic procrastination (r=.28, p<.01). Regression analysis revealed that homesickness did not significantly predict academic procrastination (β =-.089, p=ns). Additionally, depression was identified as a mediator in the relationship between homesickness and academic procrastination, although the indirect effects were minimal. Conclusion: The study highlights the complex interplay between homesickness, depression, and conscientiousness in influencing academic procrastination among hosteled students. It underscores the need for targeted interventions to address these psychological factors, potentially enhancing academic performance and well-being in this population.