Does Acculturative Stress Always Lead to Negative Outcomes? Understanding the Role Acculturative Stress Plays in Fostering Social Behaviors and Improved Well-Being Among International Students

Asha Mohammed Kadir, Pace University

Abstract

There has been a steady increase in the international student population in the United States. While moving to another country to gain an education can be exciting, it can also be stressful. International students struggle with several challenges, including language barriers, discrimination, bias, and acculturative stress. Accordingly, most immigration literature focuses on the harmful effects of immigration. When poorly adjusted, one may experience negative outcomes from acculturative stress. However, this study argues that students who seek and find relief from acculturative stress in social interaction and affiliation are more likely than not to adapt positively to their new environment during the acculturation process. Thus, this study investigated the role acculturative stress plays in fostering social affiliative and interaction behaviors and improved well-being among international students. Specifically, it examined whether social affiliation and interaction mediate the relationship between acculturative stress and well-being. The two-wave longitudinal study sample comprised 345 international students at baseline and 130 participants in Wave 1, assessed one month apart. The results suggest that international students who struggle with acculturative stress can benefit from engaging in social affiliative and interaction behaviors, positively impacting well-being and overall satisfaction with life. However, this finding was supported only cross-sectionally rather than longitudinally. Despite this, the findings reveal that acculturative stress is not always linked with adverse outcomes. This study provides important information regarding the importance of social processes in coping. Implications of these findings for researchers, educators, and clinicians and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Subject Area

Mental health|Counseling Psychology|Psychology|Social psychology

Recommended Citation

Kadir, Asha Mohammed, "Does Acculturative Stress Always Lead to Negative Outcomes? Understanding the Role Acculturative Stress Plays in Fostering Social Behaviors and Improved Well-Being Among International Students" (2024). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI31330482.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI31330482

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