HOMESICKNESS IN NEW SANTRI: FAMILY ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT IN ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOLS

Abstract

Homesickness is a common transition problem among new santri, who must separate from their families and adapt to the communal, disciplined life of Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren). This structured narrative review synthesizes 25 sources: 21 primary studies published between 2019 and 2026 and four foundational works on homesickness and adjustment. The synthesis identifies five patterns. Homesickness is a clinically meaningful distress state rather than a trivial complaint; its prevalence varies widely across pesantren settings; social adjustment, perceived social support, peer support, and sense of belonging are consistently associated with lower homesickness; and family attachment has a dual role. Secure parental attachment is associated with psychological well-being and with lower homesickness in some studies, whereas one study found that stronger family attachment positively predicted homesickness. The review proposes a dual relational transition framework in which homesickness is reduced not by weakening family ties but by converting them into a secure base while new belonging is built in the pesantren. The framework is a set of testable propositions, not an empirically validated model. For Islamic Guidance and Counseling (Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam, BKI), the findings support an attachment-sensitive and socially oriented service model that combines early screening, a peer-buddy system, structured family contact, group counseling, and musyrif/musyrifah mentoring during the first months of residence.