Sociocultural Adjustment Research Articles

Social Self-Efficacy Mediates Wechat Use and Cross-Cultural Adaptation Among International Students in Chengdu, China

Social media supports international students to become more integrated into the host culture during their adaptation and to maintain ties with people their home country. In China, WeChat has the social attributes to help international students to cope with academic and social challenges in the host society but it seems that personal self-confidence may affect sociocultural adjustment. The study examines the relationship between WeChat use, social self-efficacy and cross-cultural adaptation among international students in China. The preliminary study involved 24 international students in China who filled in an online questionnaire on cross-cultural exposure, WeChat usage, social self-efficacy and cross-cultural adaptation was formulated. The results showed frequent WeChat use, and it helped the respondents to learn Chinese language skills, make friends, and obtain social support to deal with study and life problems. They also reported positive attitudes towards their social skills and confidence in their host countries, but they were less confident when talking to strangers or expressing their opinions. Nevertheless, the respondents reported satisfactory cross-cultural adaptation because of the support from classmates, teachers, and the university. However, they were neutral on whether they have integrated into the culture in China, or felt capable talking to locals and making decisions. Our findings indicated that social self-efficacy exerts an indirect effect on the unidirectional link between social use of WeChat and cross-cultural adaptation.

Trajectories of mental health problems in unaccompanied young refugees in Germany and the impact of post-migration factors - a longitudinal study.

Unaccompanied young refugees (UYRs) are at an elevated risk of continuing psychological distress, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, and anxiety. The post-arrival situation in a host country plays an important role in increasing or reducing mental health risks for UYRs. This study aimed to examine the trajectory of psychological distress and post-migration factors experienced by UYRs in Germany with five assessments every six months over a two-year period.Standardised self-report questionnaires were used to assess PTSS (CATS-2), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms. Material and social stressors (DSSYR), sociocultural adjustment (BSAS), frequency of contact with family members, and distress regarding asylum status were included as post-migration factors. N = 131 UYRs (Mage = 17.04; SDage = 1.46; 81.1% male) living in residential care facilities in Germany were included in this study. There was a significant loss to follow up with n = 77 after 12 months at T2 (59% attrition), and n = 37 after 24 months at T4 (28% attrition).At baseline, clinically relevant symptom scores were found in 48.1% for PTSS, 42.0% for depression, and 22.9% for anxiety. Analysis of latent growth curve models revealed that the symptom severity of depression and anxiety did not change substantially over one year, but PTSS showed a significant decline. The number of traumatic events affected initial levels of mental health problems but not their trajectory over time. The impact of post-migration factors varied between measurement points and outcome measures and did not result in a homogeneous pattern.Despite limitations, this study demonstrated the persistence of high levels of psychological distress in UYRs. Effective interventions are required at an early stage to prevent chronic trajectories and support systems should adapt to constantly changing circumstances.Trial registration number/date of registration: DRKS00017453/11th December 2019.

The dynamics in the relationship between perceived cultural distance, cultural intelligence and adjustment of international students

This study investigates the dynamics between perceived cultural distance (PCD), cultural intelligence (CQ), and international students’ sociocultural, psychological, and academic adjustment. It examines whether CQ (its total score and four sub-components separately from the total CQ) moderates the relationship between PCD and adjustment. By investigating all three dimensions of students’ adjustment, and also distinguishing the four aspects of the CQ, it provides an especially fine-grained analysis of the link between PCD, CQ and international students’ adjustment. In a cross-sectional study, 341 international college students from several universities in the Netherlands participated in an online survey. Moderation analysis (Hayes Process Macro) indicated that overall CQ and motivational CQ moderated only the relationship between PCD and sociocultural adjustment. Further analysis show that when age, gender, level of study, and region of origin controlled, PCD consistently predicted all aspects of students' adjustment negatively. Overall CQ predicted only sociocultural and academic adjusment, but motivational CQ influenced all aspects of adjustment. Together, these results provide an insightful understanding of the role of international students' CQ in their adjustment in the face of cultural differences.

Acculturation and adjustment among international college students: The moderating role of perceived second language proficiency

Objectives: This study was aimed at examining the relationship between acculturation strategies and both psychological and socio-cultural adjustment, while concurrently assessing the moderating role of perceived second language proficiency. The premise was that proficiency in the host country’s language could potentially facilitate successful acculturative outcomes. Method: We used self-report measures to collect data on a sample of 237 international students in Los Angeles. A General Linear Model was applied for data analyses. Results: Overall, integration emerged as the most adaptive acculturation strategy, whereas marginalization was identified as the least adaptive. Noteworthy, moderating effects were observed in the relationships between marginalization and life satisfaction, integration and socio-cultural adjustment, assimilation and psychological problems, as well as socio-cultural adjustment. Conclusions: Our findings lend support to the Integration Hypothesis, highlighting that adopting integration is associated with superior adaptive outcomes, also pointing out that the pattern of associations between acculturation strategies and both psychological and socio-cultural adjustment could fluctuate depending on the level of perceived second language proficiency.

Deciphering dynamic interactions among multidimensional psychological motivations, academic performance, and sociocultural adjustment: The critical influence of excessive WeChat use

As the preeminent mobile social media platform in Mainland China, WeChat's meteoric expansion has revolutionized the dynamics of interpersonal communication and the modalities of mutual interaction among individuals. Despite the escalating significance of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students, existing scholarly works have largely neglected the underlying relationship between psychological motivations, excessive WeChat use, academic performance, and sociocultural adaptation of these students. Anchored in uses and gratifications theory and cross-cultural adaptation paradigm, the primary objectives of this study are to devise a theoretical model and to scrutinize differential psychological motivations propelling international students' WeChat usage, its association with excessive WeChat use, and impacts on academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. The proposed model undergoes meticulous evaluation through data amassed online from 598 Chinese international students studying in Germany. Sequential analytical techniques, especially Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling, were employed to elucidate the dynamic interplay among key variables. The final results validate the path effect suggesting that both hedonic and social motivations are positive predictors of excessive WeChat use. Moreover, excessive WeChat use is negatively correlated with academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. However, utilitarian motivation is not significantly related to excessive WeChat use. By demystifying the driving factors and consequences of excessive WeChat use, these findings not only accentuate the pivotal role of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students but also enrich the theoretical landscape and enhance the strategic approaches for educators and academic institutions.

Sociocultural adjustment and social support as predictors for international medical sciences students’ anxiety during COVID-19

BackgroundThe prevalence of anxiety is high among international medical sciences students and it increased even more during the COVID-19 pandemic due to different restrictions and social isolation. Successful sociocultural adjustment and social support could be important factors in overcoming those challenges, however, there is a lack of studies which would investigate the role of those factors among inter- national medical students. This study aimed to assess the role of sociocultural adjustment and social support as predictors for international medical students’ anxiety during COVID-19.MethodsTwo measurements were conducted via self-reported questionnaires which consisted of three scales - SCAS, MSPSS and GAD-7. In total, 82 international medical students participated in both measurements in this longitudinal study.ResultsThe findings indicated that 37% of international students had symptoms of moderate or severe anxiety during their first year of studies at university. In the second year, during the COVID-19 pandemic and an official lockdown, 35% of international students had symptoms of moderate or severe anxiety. In addition, this study showed that gender and sociocultural adjustment did not play a role as predictors of students’ anxiety during the second year of studies. However, this study revealed that social support provided by family during the first year of studies, as well as having friends or family members who had been ill with COVID-19 predicted higher levels of anxiety at second measurement, while sociocultural adjustment was an even stronger predictor of anxiety in the second year of studies of international medical students.ConclusionsThis knowledge can help to better understand how international medical students felt during the COVID-19 pandemic and what role the above- mentioned factors played in the students’ anxiety. As the anxiety level is quite high among international medical students, universities and mental health service providers should take it into consideration and help them to overcome those challenges.

Analysis of Youtube Content of Mixed-Marriage Women Living Overseas from The Perspective of Anxiety/Uncertainty Management

The advancement of technology has reduced distance and time constraints, leading to the intercultural marriages experienced by Indonesian women. This research aims to analyze the socio-cultural adjustment of mixed-marriage women from the Anxiety Uncertainty Management (AUM) perspective. Referring to AUM theory, the presence of uncertainty and anxiety serves a significant role in maintaining the focus of mixed-marriage women residing in foreign countries, particularly during cross-cultural interactions. This research utilizes a qualitative content analysis method with the assistance of NVivo 14 Plus to code the distribution of adjustment factors within the YouTube content. The selection of research samples was based on the diversity of husbands' origins, current country of residence, length of marriage, and the depth of women's engagement in sharing personal stories in their content, resulting in the selection of six account owners. The categorization of adjustment factors that emerged in the YouTube video content includes stages of uncertainty management, anxiety management, self-awareness, and effective communication. The results of this research indicate that all women go through the four stages of the AUM model in diverse forms. An additional finding in this study is that support systems play a significant role in assisting women to navigate during the adjustment phases.

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the sociocultural adjustment scale among international students in Malaysia

The sociocultural adaptation scale is a tool commonly used to assess how international students adjust to new cultures. Although it has been shown to be useful, there's little proof that it works well for students in non-Western countries. Our study aimed to create and test a version of this tool for international students in Malaysia, with 428 participants. We looked at whether the tool worked the same way for people of different genders, ages, and academic majors. At first, our results showed that the tool was not a perfect fit, but after careful adjustments, including removing items that did not fit well and improving how items were linked, we significantly improved how well the tool worked. The updated tool effectively measures how well international students adapt to new cultures. Moreover, our study found that the tool worked consistently across different demographic groups, offering new insights into how gender, age, and academic major affect students' sociocultural adaptation. These findings make the tool more useful in various settings and help us better understand the complex factors that influence how international students adjust to living in multicultural environments.

International Postgraduate Students’ Lived Experiences of Academic, Psychological and Sociocultural Adjustment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This in-depth qualitative study investigated how international students experienced academic, psychological and sociocultural adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst a burgeoning body of research examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on international students, few studies foreground students’ lived experiences. This study gathered data through semi-structured interviews with 30 international postgraduate students who undertook degree programs at British universities in 20-21. A thematic analysis revealed that COVID-19-related stressors negatively impacted students’ psychological adjustment and led to a sense of isolation and detachment from the host environment, with students reporting difficulties in instigating and maintaining social ties. Experiences of academic adjustment were nuanced, with findings suggesting that the pandemic acted as either a barrier or facilitator of adjustment, depending on the students’ personal circumstances. With global epidemics increasingly likely, the findings from this study can support higher education institutions in developing institutional policies on how to support their international students in times of global health crises.

Culture shock among international students in Turkey: an analysis of the effects of self-efficacy, life satisfaction and socio-cultural adaptation on culture shock

In this study, we investigated whether the interaction effects of self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and sociocultural adjustment have significant negative effects on culture shock. The data were collected from 323 international students in Turkey, and the sample comprised 197 undergraduates (61%) and 126 graduates (39%). We administered the “Culture Shock Questionnaire,” “General Self-Efficacy Scale”, “The Satisfaction with Life Scale”, and “Sociocultural Adaptation Scale” through an online survey. Of the participants, 86 were female (26.6%), and 237 were male (73.4%). The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 32 (M = 22.11; SD = 4.23). In this study, we identified three structural models to test the relationships between culture shock, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and sociocultural adjustment. The results supported our hypothesis (H1) that there would be a significant negative relationship between self-efficacy and culture shock. One-way MANOVA revealed that students with lower self-efficacy scores experienced greater culture shock. Conversely, students with higher self-efficacy scores experienced lower culture shock and interpersonal stress. Additionally, a multigroup analysis was conducted to test the assumed relationships in structural models for Muslim (such as Turkey, where the research was conducted, which is 90% Muslim) and Christian students. The results indicated that self-efficacy has a significantly greater negative impact on culture shock for Christian students than for Muslim students. Our study confirmed the hypothesis (H4) that life satisfaction and sociocultural adjustment serve as mediating variables between self-efficacy and culture shock. Both life satisfaction and sociocultural adjustment were found to have significant direct impacts on culture shock, and a meaningful mediating effect on the relationship between self-efficacy and culture shock was identified. Based on these findings, we concluded that self-efficacy may be particularly beneficial for coping with culture shock for people who do not embrace dominant religious beliefs in a local culture.

Sociocultural predictors of immigrant adjustment and well-being.

Research shows that culture change may pose risks to immigrant wellbeing. Our study examined adult Georgians (N = 431) residing in Greece, Italy, and Germany, and explored associations between their demographic characteristics, sociocultural adjustment, and psychological well-being outcomes. Conducted via electronic self-report survey, the cross-sectional study measured participants' levels of sociocultural adjustment, psychological adjustment, and depression along with the willingness to interact with host nationals, perceived sense of discrimination, history of being undocumented, age and length of relocation, and fluency in host language. The study also examined differences in three subsamples from the standpoint of intercultural distance. Sociocultural Adjustment Scale, Brief Psychological Adaptation Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Host Interaction Scale were used to measure the corresponding variables. Perceived history of discrimination was measured by a Likert-scale question about discrimination in a host country. Intercultural distance was established by Hofstede cultural compass and was estimated to be the smallest with Greece and the largest with Germany. Depression was positively predicted by histories of discrimination and illegal immigration, host language fluency upon relocation, and was negatively predicted by sociocultural adjustment. Psychological adjustment was positively predicted by sociocultural adjustment, willingness to interact with host nationals, and ongoing language fluency, while perceived sense of discrimination, age, and poor financial state acted as negative predictors. Finally, sociocultural adjustment acted as the strongest determinant of wellbeing predicting both lower depression and higher psychological adjustment. Our findings suggested that adjustment in diverse sociocultural domains was the most critical for the immigrants' psychological well-being along with the lack of perceived discrimination. Additional factors associated with the better adaptation outcomes included younger age, willingness to interact with host nationals, language fluency, better financial standing and no history of being undocumented. The results also indicated that host language proficiency upon relocation may contribute to migrant susceptibility, whereas intercultural distance may be overshadowed in importance by acculturation conditions. The findings illustrate the complexity of migration and culture change and point to the superiority of wholistic policies and practices in promoting smooth transition of immigrant populations.

Attachment style and romantic involvement with host nationals influence migrants’ acculturation and adjustment

Many migrants experience cultural transitions alongside a romantic partner, yet relatively few studies have examined the relationship context of acculturation and adjustment. The primary goal of the present study was to examine whether partners’ anxious and avoidant attachment – fearing abandonment or closeness in relationships, respectively – predicted their acculturation orientations and sociocultural, psychological, and relational adjustment. A secondary goal was to examine whether being romantically involved with a host national eased the process of acculturation. Toward this end, we collected dyadic daily diary data over a 14-day period from 146 couples (N = 292), of whom at least one partner was a recent migrant to the UK. We found that when migrants were higher in avoidant attachment, they – and their partners – reported the poorest acculturative outcomes: lower mainstream British identification and heritage culture identification, and lower sociocultural, psychological, and relational adjustment. When migrants were higher in attachment anxiety, they reported poorer psychological, sociocultural, and relational adjustment; when their partners were higher in anxiety, migrants reported worse outcomes across the board. Furthermore, migrants with a British partner reported greater mainstream British identification and sociocultural adjustment compared to migrants without a British partner. A follow-up 7.5 years later found that migrants who were higher in attachment anxiety and did not have a British partner at Time 1 were more likely to have left the UK by Time 2. Based on these findings, we encourage researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers to take migrants’ relationship context into account to better understand their acculturation and adjustment.

Parasocial relationships and their impact on the psychological and sociocultural adjustment of educational tourists: an autoethnography

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to investigate whether relationships with media figures can impact the psychological and sociocultural adjustment of educational tourists.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses the qualitative method of autoethnography to provide a highly personalised account of the first author’s relationships with podcast hosts during his time as an educational tourist, in order to fulfil its previously mentioned purpose.FindingsAn analysis of the author’s narrative account demonstrates how he formed parasocial relationships (PSRs) with his favourite podcast hosts. These relationships increased self-efficacy, reduced stress and provided a sense of social support, which, in turn contributed to psychological and sociocultural adjustment.Originality/valueBy demonstrating how relationships with media figures can impact their psychological and sociocultural adjustment, this article argues that research on educational tourists should explore their PSRs, in addition to their other kinds of friendships which have already been examined.

Cultural orientation, social support, and discrimination in regard to adjustment among foreign workers in Denmark

With contemporary acceleration of globalization, both majority and minority groups are experiencing increased intercultural contact. Globalization has motivated an expanding number of foreign workers, who are psychologically and socioculturally adjusting to new cultural contexts. Such adjustment, which represents a component of acculturation, centers on heritage cultural maintenance and destination cultural acquisition. During acculturation, foreign workers’ cultural orientation is modified through interaction with others and through the extent to which one feels included and supported within the local and national contexts of reception. In the present study, experiences of social support and discrimination were examined as mediating the associations of cultural orientation with both psychological and sociocultural adjustment difficulties among foreign workers in Denmark (N = 259). Results indicate that heritage cultural orientation was positively, and Danish cultural orientation negatively, associated with sociocultural difficulties. Furthermore, perceived discrimination was positively associated with perceived stress and with sociocultural difficulties. Danish cultural orientation was indirectly linked with lower levels of stress and sociocultural difficulties through social support from friends. The present study contributes to our understanding of the dynamic and complex interplay among individual and contextual factors shaping foreign workers’ intercultural adjustment. Results highlight how interpersonal conditions, in the form of social support and discrimination, can affect psychosocial adjustment and, consequently, the retention of foreign workers within a given country.

Group Belonging and Social Identities in the Transition of Asylum-Seekers in Greece: Longitudinal Pathways to Adjustment.

Millions of forced migrants settling in host countries often struggle to adjust to their new life. As their inclusion and adjustment within receiving societies has become a global social challenge, studying the factors that support their successful transition is an important topic of research inquiry. The present three-wave longitudinal study examined the role of group belonging and social identification in facilitating the transition of 60 sub-Saharan African asylum-seekers to Greece. Drawing upon the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC), we investigated how multiple group memberships before migration, social identity continuity, and social identity gain related to their adjustment over 8 months. On the between-person level, multiple group belonging before migration indirectly contributed to better person-average levels of sociocultural adjustment, physical health functioning and satisfaction, psychological distress, and life satisfaction, by way of higher person-average levels of social identity continuity and/or social identity gain. However, multiple groups before migration also had a direct negative effect on the overall levels of psychological distress. On the within-person level, positive changes in social identity continuity and gain were related to positive changes in different adjustment-related outcomes over time. Our findings are consistent with SIMIC and highlight the importance of group belonging and associated social identities in forced migrants' transition, in ways that may pave the way for the development of social identity interventions to promote their health, well-being, and successful integration. Future longitudinal and experimental evidence with larger and more diverse samples of forced migrants is needed to establish the generalizability and causality of the observed associations.

Perceived discrimination, adaptation and saudade among African migrants

PurposeFor Lusophones, saudade is a common psychological experience related with the physical separation from loved ones and/or familiar locations. This study aims to examine the relationships between perception of discrimination, adaptation and saudade.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 655 African migrants from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique living in Portugal with a mean age of 38 years. The average duration of stay in Portugal was 22 years.FindingsResults indicated that length of residence impacted the difficulties experienced with saudade: respondents with longer lengths of stay in the society of settlement experienced less difficulty with saudade. As predicted, the results indicated that higher perceptions of discrimination and loneliness correlated positively with experienced saudade, while sociocultural adaptation correlated negatively with experienced saudade.Originality/valuePath analysis was conducted to investigate mediation impacts of sociocultural adjustment and loneliness on the relationship between perception of discriminatory events and difficulty with saudade. This study suggests that sociocultural adaptation and loneliness partially mediated the relation between perception of discrimination and saudade. Notwithstanding the low level of perceived discrimination found in this African background sample, this antecedent plays a relevant role in the saudade experienced. This evidence may be useful in targeting programs to improve sociocultural adjustment and to reduce loneliness which may help to alleviate the difficulty with feeling saudade among African migrants.

Stress, mental health and sociocultural adjustment in third culture kids: exploring the mediating roles of resilience and family functioning.

This cross-sectional study explores the contributions of personal and contextual factors in the adjustment process of a sample of internationally mobile children and adolescents having relocated to Switzerland. Based on evolutionary developmental theories and recommendations by Research Domain Criteria and The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology theoretical frameworks, we hypothesized and tested a heuristic model of TCK adjustment, aiming to identify prevention and treatment targets tailored for our sampled population. We assessed the relationships in the hypothesized models, particularly how perceived and acculturative stress influence TCK adjustment and whether the relationship between the predictors of TCK stress and the outcomes of TCK adjustment are mediated by resilience and family functioning. A total of 143 participants aged 7-17, having relocated internationally with their working parent(s), recruited in local and international schools in Switzerland, were included in this study. Data were collected using an online survey after we collected consent. We assessed factors of adjustment using validated questionnaires: perceived stress and acculturative stress and the potential mediating roles of family functioning and resilience. We measured the outcome of adjustment through mental health difficulties and sociocultural adjustment. We used path analysis to test the model. Results highlight the contributions of perceived stress and acculturative stress to TCK mental health and sociocultural adjustment. We also we found a mediation effect for resilience in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. Family functioning was not a significant mediator in any relationship that we assessed. We discuss implications for future research, promoting TCK adjustment and preventative psychotherapeutic interventions.

International students’ social use of WeChat and sociocultural adjustment: coping self-efficacy as a longitudinal mediator

International students’ social use of WeChat and sociocultural adjustment: coping self-efficacy as a longitudinal mediator

The nature of social media use and ethnic minorities’ acculturation

Social media plays an increasing role in immigrants’ and sojourners’ cultural adaptation process. Understanding how the nature of social media use is associated with immigrants’ psychological as well as sociocultural adjustment is critical to maximizing its potential for acculturation. Interviews with 34 secondary school ethnic minority students in Hong Kong revealed that these students engaged in different types of social media experiences. Different social media experiences afforded different potentials for acculturation. But social media also had negative aspects, carrying over and amplifying some power relationships and struggles in society. The realization of the potentials of social media for acculturation was embedded in the dialectical interactions between the positive and negative aspects of social media experience. The nature of social media use was also situated in specific acculturation situations. The findings suggest a more critical and dynamic approach to understanding the complex relationships of social media use with acculturation and the cyclical interaction between the two.

Cultural Adaptation: A Mediator between Cultural Intelligence and Academic Performance in a Thai Context

Seminal research on cultural intelligence is ubiquitous at an organizational level, albeit research at an educational level, especially in a Thai context is scant. Using a quota sample of 426 students, this quantitative paper gathered data from three subgroups in Bangkok: Thai, Chinese and ASEAN from two educational settings. Cultural Intelligence was measured using the “Four Factor Cultural Intelligence” Scale (CQS) of Ang et al., (2007), constituting 20 items, answered on a 7-point Likert-type scale. To measure sociocultural adjustment, the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R), of Wilson (2013), constituting 21 items, answered on a 5-point Likert-type scale was used. Psychological adjustment was measured using the Psychological Adjustment Scale of Demes and Geeraert (2013), constituting 10 items, answered on a 7-point Likert-type scale. The relationship between the four dimensions of cultural intelligence to academic performance and the relationship of sociocultural adaptation and psychological adjustment as mediators between cultural intelligence and academic performance was hypothesized. Results of Structural Equation Modeling did not support the prediction of the relationship between the four dimensions of cultural intelligence and academic performance of students. The modification indices of the AMOS program testing the relationship between socio-cultural adaptation and psychological adjustment and academic achievement manifested an indirect relationship of the cultural intelligence on the academic achievement via socio-cultural adaptation. Students, who are coached prior to actual immersion in a culture chosen to complete their studies, could alleviate culture shock, adapt better to the new abode and score better grades.