Newcomers’ psychosocial resources and their acculturation and adaptation into settlement society: Mediating role of hope

Abstract

The majority of psychological studies have applied a deficit model perspective to immigration-related research by focusing on the adverse effects of immigration. However, incorporating a positive psychology perspective to uncover factors contributing to newcomers’ flourishing experience in the settlement society is imperative. With this aim, the current study investigated the mediating role of hope in the associations between newcomers’ psychosocial resources and their adaptation and acculturation orientations into Canada. One hundred thirty-four newcomers from Canada (Mage = 36.29, SD = 9.45; Rangeage = 18–66) completed an online survey. The findings demonstrated the significant mediating role of hope. Specifically, newcomers with higher psychosocial resources were more likely to have higher levels of hope. This, in turn, was associated with better psychological and sociocultural adaptation and higher levels of orientation towards the larger society. The findings highlight the importance of developing hope-building interventions to facilitate the adaptation of newcomers.