Sofiya Waraich, FCLC 2025

Major: Psychology

Bio: Sofiya Waraich is a senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), majoring in psychology. She will be pursuing a Master’s in Social Work next fall. Under the mentorship of Dr. Siedlecki, Sofiya is presenting her Honors Thesis research on international students' friend group composition and their loneliness levels. On campus, she is involved with the DEASL Club (Deaf Education American Sign Language).

Title of Research: Friend Group Composition Among International Students and Their Loneliness Levels

Mentor: Karen Siedlecki, Ph.D., Psychology

Abstract: International students often face unique social challenges that may contribute to loneliness when pursuing an education in the U.S. Previous research suggests that friendship composition plays a key role in social integration, with international students typically forming co-national friendships for cultural familiarity, host-national friendships for academic and social integration, and multinational friendships for shared experiences in a foreign environment (Bochner et al., 1977; Furnham & Alibhai, 1985). While studies have explored how these friendships impact social adjustment, fewer have directly examined their relationship with loneliness. This study investigates how the composition of international students' friendship groups: co-national, host-national, multinational, or mixed friends relates to their reported loneliness levels. Using Bochner et al.'s (1977) functional model as the main framework in this study, international students (N = 193) were categorized based on their friendship compositions. An ANCOVA will be conducted to examine the relationship between friendship type and loneliness while controlling for relevant covariates. Additionally, a correlation will be used to explore the association between cultural orientation and loneliness using horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism (Triandis & Gelfand, 1998). This study aims to contribute to understanding international student social integration by identifying patterns of friendship composition and loneliness levels. Findings from this study may inform university programs seeking to foster social well-being among international students.