Homesickness at Summer Camp: Associations with the Mother-Child Relationship, Social Self-Concept, and Peer Relationships in Middle Childhood

The goal of the present study was to investigate how the quality of the mother-child relationship, social self-concept, and the quality of peer relationships predict girls' feelings of homesickness at a residential summer camp. We expected that children with secure attachments to their mothers,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 2008-10, Vol.54 (4), p.473-498
Main Authors: Kerns, Kathryn A., Brumariu, Laura E., Abraham, Michelle M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attachment Behavior
Camps
Caregivers
Childhood
Children
Children & youth
Emotional Adjustment
Emotional attachments
Environment
Families & family life
Females
Friendship
Homesickness
Individual Differences
Interpersonal Relationship
Interviews
Measures (Individuals)
Mother and child
Mothers
Ohio
Parent Child Relationship
Parents & parenting
Peer relations
Peer Relationship
Personality Traits
Prediction
Psychological aspects
Psychological Patterns
Questionnaires
Resident Camp Programs
Sample size
Security (Psychology)
Self Concept
Self evaluation
Self-perception
Social aspects
Social networks
Temperament
Young Children
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Summary:The goal of the present study was to investigate how the quality of the mother-child relationship, social self-concept, and the quality of peer relationships predict girls' feelings of homesickness at a residential summer camp. We expected that children with secure attachments to their mothers, a more positive social self-concept, and better relationships with peers would report less homesickness at camp. Girls were 8 to 12 years of age. Mother-child attachment was assessed with a questionnaire and an interview completed prior to camp. Social self-concept was assessed with a questionnaire prior to camp, and peer relationships were assessed with questionnaires at camp. Peer relationships and social self-concept, but not mother-child attachment, were related to homesickness at camp. Social self-concept prior to camp and peer social support and friendship quality at camp predicted subsequent homesickness, whereas homesickness early in camp did not predict later assessments of peer relationships at camp. The findings suggest that social self-concept and relationships with peers may be protective factors for homesickness at summer camp.
ISSN:0272-930X
1535-0266
1535-0266
DOI:10.1353/mpq.0.0010