Major Causes of Acculturative Stress and Their Relations with Sociodemographic Factors and Depression among International Students

摘要

The purpose of the study was to examine the main sources of acculturative stress and their associations with sociodemographic factors and depression. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed to investigate the study. International students (N = 506) volunteered to take part in the survey and completed two self-report questionnaires: Acculturative Stress for International Students Scale and a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation, t-test, and analysis of variance were performed in data analyses. The study delineated that homesickness, culture shock, and discrimination were the leading stress causing factors among the students. Participants’ age, marital status, Chinese language proficiency, friendship with local students, educational level, prior travel experience and source of financial support also appeared to have a significant association with their acculturative stress scores. The study also explored a significant positive relationship between acculturative stressors and depression. Findings of the study could apply to host universities to better engineer programs or services that accelerate and promote the psychological positive acculturative process and outcomes of their international fellow students and subsequently safeguard them from exacerbating mental health problems.