When we are at uni our minds are at home: Saudi students worrying about wives

Abstract

[Abstract]: In this paper I report on one theme relating to international student adjustment that is not discussed elsewhere; namely the stress of worrying about dependent family members who have accompanied the student to the host country. The data for this paper were drawn from a larger study into the experiences of male Saudi Arabian nursing students at an Australian university. In two of five discussion groups, married men discussed the weight of responsibility they felt towards their wives who were struggling to adjust to Australian culture and therefore feeling lonely, isolated and in some instances very much afraid. These findings are an important reminder to be alert to the ever-present potential for misreading behaviour of students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I conclude by arguing for the need for on-going in-depth studies into the experiences of students from different backgrounds with a view to improving teaching and support practices.