Friendsickness in the transition to college: Precollege predictors and college adjustment correlates

In this study friendsickness (preoccupation with and concern for the loss of or change in precollege friendships) is seen as a significant source of distress for college students, affecting college adjustment. A short-term longitudinal study of college students (N = 70) examined associations between friendsickness, precollege predictors, and dimensions of college adjustment 10 weeks into the first semester. As hypothesized, friendsickness was associated with precollege social concerns, discrepancy between precollege expectations and college experiences, more precollege friends in the college social network, and loneliness and poor self-esteem in college. Implications for precollege prevention of and college intervention efforts for friendsickness are discussed.