Introduction

What is it like being a sojourner in a foreign country? Do ‘foreigners’ do as well as ‘natives’? How well do they cope with the culture of the country in which they are studying? Is there much evidence of psychological distress among sojourners, be they businessmen, diplomats, missionaries, the military or students? Foreign and exchange students have been the topic of academic research for a very long time (Bock, 1970; Brislin, 1979; Byrnes, 1966; Furnham & Tresize, 1983; Tornbiorn, 1982; Zwingmann & Gunn, 1963).

Well over a million young people go abroad to study at a foreign university. The experience of studying in a foreign country leaves a powerful impression on young people that may last all their lives. For a few the experience is negative and they recall the loneliness, homesickness and rejection of the foreign country, but for most the experience is very enriching; so much so that some people prefer never to return home and to continue living in their new country. As a result of the increase in student movement much has been written on this topic (De Verthelyi, 1995; Jenkins, 1983; Kagan & Cohen, 1990; Neto, 1995; Searle & Ward, 1990).

The increase in studies on ‘foreign’ or international students is probably a function of a number of issues (Crano & Crano, 1993; Furukawa & Shibayama, 1993, 1994; Kagan & Cohen, 1990; Harris, 1995; Sandhu, 1994). This include the large increase in their numbers; the fact that a significant number fail, drop-out or have serious psychological and medical problems whilst abroad and adapting once they return; developing theoretical work on the experience of sojourners; and existence of specialist academic journals that focus on the issues associated with foreign student exchange.

But foreign students are not the only sojourning group worthy of research. More and more research has focused on the difficulties of businessmen and women and their families who go abroad. Studies on business people who have moved from one area or country to another have come up with evidence of unhappiness, distress and poor adjustment (Torbiorn, 1982; De Verthelyi, 1995; Furnham & Bochner, 1986). Of course, this is not always the case and, as research has shown, there are a large and complex number of variables determining the actual adjustment of particular individuals.