Perceived Support as a Predictor of Acculturative Stress Among International Students in the United States

Abstract

A quantitative study was conducted to measure the acculturative stress of international students and investigate the predictors of acculturative stress. A total of 186 students participated in the survey. Results showed that 22.4% of the students in this study exceeded the normal stress level and might need counseling or psychological intervention. International students from the Middle East had a significantly higher level of acculturative stress than students from other areas. Perceived support from the university was identified as a significant negative predictor of acculturative stress. The results have important implications for educators and helping professions in higher education settings that serve international students.

Contributing Stressor towards Self Adjustment among Foreign Students in Public University

“…They did not feel comfortable seeking help from their lecturer and still unsure about the resources to seek for help whenever they are facing any problem. Similar finding was recorded in study done by Jeiru (2016) where perceived support from school was the only significant predictor of acculturative stress among foreign students. The study indicated that support service from school is very important to foreign students in their acculturation process where it can lower the stress levels and help in student's selfadjustment.…”

Academic Acculturation of Chinese Doctoral Students in Finland

“…As for Chinese doctoral students, they come to Finnish universities to acquire knowledge and advanced information. However, due to the different learning culture between Finland and China, they might be shocked by the unpredicted challenges and their inability to deal with academic difficulties effectively (Bai 2016;Mesidor and Sly 2016). Although the increasing amount of research referred to learning experiences of Chinese doctoral international students has been done based in universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, our knowledge of Chinese doctoral students in Finnish universities is scarce (Aittola 2017;Pappa et al 2020).…”

Social worldviews and social attitudes: Examining the psychological correlates for other-concern

“…For instance, Dzansi and Mogashoa (2013) found that mindfulness about how classroom practices such as assessment, communication, teaching, and classroom organisation affect international students, helped to improve their learning experience. Likewise, Bai (2016) found social support from the university to be strongly associated with less acculturative stress among international students in the US. Furthermore, Akhtari et al (2020) using administrative data from Texas, USA found that when AFF is in play, racial gaps between Whites and minorities in grade, SAT scores, attendance, and college applications reduce.…”