Sources of Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies Among Asian International Students in China

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.201201.003How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Acculturative Stress, International Students, Coping Strategies, China, Asia

Abstract

This study aimed to identify sources of acculturative stress and the coping strategies among Asian international students in Hubei, China. A total sample of 162 students from China’s neighboring countries was recruited to complete the study’s online questionnaire. A 36-item questionnaire called the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) was used to measure perceived discrimination, homesickness, perceived hate, fear, culture shock, guilt, and miscellaneous as sources of acculturative stress. A brief COPE scale was used to measure coping strategies. Data from the survey were analyzed using statistical analysis. Results showed that overall, most Asian international students in Hubei, China did not experience acute acculturative stress. However, homesickness, cultural shock, and guilt were the most prevalent sources of acculturative stress. To cope with their stressful situations, most Asian international students used active (and not avoidant) coping strategies such as religion, active coping, planning, and instrumental support. Some socio-demographic characteristics such as length of stay, age, and education were also found to influence stress prevalence. Educators and administrators of international students in China need to identify students’ critical sources of stress among students and offer effective services that may help them cope with their acculturative stress.

Copyright

© 2020, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Flemmings F. Ngwira
AU  - Victor Chikoti
AU  - Wellman Kondowe
AU  - Wulan P. Saroinsong
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/12/03
TI  - Sources of Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies Among Asian International Students in China
BT  - Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Arts and Humanities (IJCAH 2020)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 8
EP  - 16
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201201.003
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.201201.003
ID  - Ngwira2020
ER  -