Factors related to emigration self-efficacy among university students in Slovakia

Abstract

Abstract Background Emigration self-efficacy (ESE) as the confidence in onés ability to successfully handle migration is an important characteristic of a migrant. We hypothesized that positive migration experience might increase ESE. We also explored whether personality factors such as extraversion, openness to experience, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness might be related to the ESE of young people (under 30 years old) in Slovakia. The moderation effect of gender in the relationship between the independent variables and ESE was also tested. Methods The sample consisted of 474 students from Slovakia (76.8% women, M = 22.4, SD = 2.13) all participating in the Student Life Cohort Study (SLiCE 2016) which focuses on the emigration intentions and risk behaviour of university students. The data were collected via an online survey. Standard multiple regression was used and the analysis was adjusted for gender. Results The model explained 23.1% of the variance in ESE. An evaluation of migration experience was found to make the largest unique contribution in explaining ESE (β = 0.317, pα<0.001). Regarding personality factors, only neuroticism was found to be significantly related to ESE (β=-0.155, pα<0.05). The main effect of gender was also significant (β=-0.179, pα<0.001) with males scoring higher in ESE although the moderation effect of gender in the relationship between the independent variables and ESE was not significant. Conclusions This study provides an insight into the role of personality factors and evaluation of migration experience in relation to ESE among Slovak university students. Future research may focus on a deeper exploration of the other factors affecting neuroticism, as reducing the level of neuroticism could be beneficial in experiencing healthier and safer migration and adaptation process. Key messages A more positive migration experience and lower level of neuroticism are related to emigration self-efficacy among university students in Slovakia. Emigration self-efficacy is an important factor of healthy migration.