Immigrants’ Sense of Belonging to the Host Country: The Role of Life Satisfaction, Language Proficiency, and Religious Motives

2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 947-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Amit ◽  
Shirly Bar-Lev
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Sense Of Belonging

scholarly journals Indochinese Refugees In Canada: Resettlement Experiences of the Cambodian and Vietnamese Refugees in Toronto

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhi Phan
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Ethnic Segregation ◽  
Vietnamese Refugees ◽  
Political Upheaval ◽  
Indochinese Refugees ◽  
General Life Satisfaction

Massive resettlement of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada started in the late 1970s, following military and political upheaval in Indochina. The Immigration policy Act of 1976 made it easier for the Indochinese refugees to enter the country. Almost four decades after the first arrivals of Indochinese refugees to Canada under unique circumstances, their settlement experiences are poorly understood. Here, I address this shortcoming through a comparative analysis of settlement experiences of the Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada, particularly probing their “sense of belonging” to the country. In order to evaluate the sense of belonging of the Indochinese refugees, I conducted interviews with 10 participants from each of the two communities. Findings from the interviews indicated highly significant correlations between language proficiency, ethnic segregation, general life satisfaction and the Sense of belonging index. The Vietnamese refugees had a higher sense of belonging to Canada than their Cambodian counterparts.

Perceived Overqualification and Psychological Well-Being Among Immigrants

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Wassermann ◽  
Annekatrin Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Perceived Overqualification ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Migration is often driven by immigrants’ hope of improving their job situation. However, in the host country, they are at risk of holding jobs below their qualifications. This study examines the relationship between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) among 176 Italian immigrants in Germany along with the buffering role of optimism and meaning-making. The results show that perceived overqualification is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction. Optimism moderates the relationship between perceived overqualification and life satisfaction: the relationship is attenuated with increasing optimism. We conclude that interventions that enhance optimism could help immigrants cope with perceived overqualification.

scholarly journals The mediating role of social capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and adolescent wellbeing: evidence from Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Aboagye Addae
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Social capital is generally portrayed to be protective of adolescents’ health and wellbeing against the effects of socioeconomic inequalities. However, few empirical evidence exist on this protective role of social capital regarding adolescents’ wellbeing in the low-and middle-income country (LMIC) context. This study examines the potential for social capital to be a protective health resource by investigating whether social capital can mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and wellbeing of Ghanaian adolescents. It also examines how SES and social capital relate to different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing in different social contexts. Methods The study employed a cross-sectional survey involving a randomly selected 2068 adolescents (13-18 years) from 15 schools (8 Senior and 7 Junior High Schools) in Ghana. Relationships were assessed using multivariate regression models. Results Three measures of familial social capital (family sense of belonging, family autonomy support, and family control) were found to be important protective factors of both adolescents’ life satisfaction and happiness against the effects of socioeconomic status. One measure of school social capital (school sense of belonging) was found to augment adolescents’ wellbeing but played no mediating role in the SES-wellbeing relationship. A proportion of about 69 and 42% of the total effect of SES on happiness and life satisfaction were mediated by social capital respectively. Moreover, there were variations in how SES and social capital related to the different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing. Conclusion Social capital is a significant mechanism through which SES impacts the wellbeing of adolescents. Social capital is a potential protective health resource that can be utilised by public health policy to promote adolescents’ wellbeing irrespective of socioeconomic inequalities. Moreover, the role of the family (home) in promoting adolescents’ wellbeing is superior to that of school which prompts targeted policy interventions. For a holistic assessment of adolescents’ subjective wellbeing, both life evaluations (life satisfaction) and positive emotions (happiness) should be assessed concomitantly.

scholarly journals The role of labour market integration, language proficiency and inter-ethnic contacts in shaping life satisfaction among immigrants in the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-337
Author(s):  
Iuliia E Pletneva
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants

Studies show relatively low life satisfaction among immigrants and ethnic minorities. At the same time, it was found that subjective well-being plays an important role in the process of social integration of immigrants. This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the meditative role of integration in the labor market and inter-ethnic contacts in the relationship between language proficiency and life satisfaction among the first and second generation of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. Based on data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study (NELLS), an analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that despite the fact that language acquisition does not have a direct effect on increasing life satisfaction among immigrants, it does have a positive effect through increasing labor integration and contacts with members of the ethnic majority.

scholarly journals Indochinese Refugees In Canada: Resettlement Experiences of the Cambodian and Vietnamese Refugees in Toronto

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhi Phan
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Ethnic Segregation ◽  
Vietnamese Refugees ◽  
Political Upheaval ◽  
Indochinese Refugees ◽  
General Life Satisfaction

Massive resettlement of Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada started in the late 1970s, following military and political upheaval in Indochina. The Immigration policy Act of 1976 made it easier for the Indochinese refugees to enter the country. Almost four decades after the first arrivals of Indochinese refugees to Canada under unique circumstances, their settlement experiences are poorly understood. Here, I address this shortcoming through a comparative analysis of settlement experiences of the Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada, particularly probing their “sense of belonging” to the country. In order to evaluate the sense of belonging of the Indochinese refugees, I conducted interviews with 10 participants from each of the two communities. Findings from the interviews indicated highly significant correlations between language proficiency, ethnic segregation, general life satisfaction and the Sense of belonging index. The Vietnamese refugees had a higher sense of belonging to Canada than their Cambodian counterparts.

Benefits of psychological capital on host country nationals’ support and burnout of Chinese expatriates in Thailand: the moderating effect of personal characteristics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Fu ◽  
Peerayuth Charoensukmongkol
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Coworker Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAnchored on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examines the direct impact of psychological capital (PsyCap) on the level of burnout experienced by Chinese expatriates working in Thailand. The social support offered by host country national (HCN) coworkers is postulated as the mediator that might transfer the impact of PsyCap on burnout. In addition, this study taps whether Chinese expatriates' personal factors, including gender and host language proficiency, might intensify or attenuate the role of PsyCap on HCN coworker support.Design/methodology/approachFrom the Chinese expatriates who are working for 15 Chinese subsidiaries in Thailand, 413 valid questionnaires were collected. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis.FindingsThe result confirms a negative linkage between PsyCap and burnout, with HCN coworker support as the partial mediator. Furthermore, the moderation estimation reports that the positive role of PsyCap on HCN coworker support is particularly attenuated for the Chinese expatriates who are female and who have a high level of host language proficiency.Originality/valueThe finding of this study offers additional knowledge to the literature by utilizing the COR theory to elucidate the mechanism under which PsyCap can protect the expatriates from burnout through the mediator of HCN coworker support. The study also reveals that the beneficial role of PsyCap in facilitating the availability of HCN coworker support could be contingent on some personal factors relating to the Chinese expatriates.

Social and Temporal Comparisons as Moderators of Psychological Resources Associations With Wellbeing

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasida Ben-Zur
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Age Range ◽  
General Wellbeing

Abstract. The current study investigated the associations of psychological resources, social comparisons, and temporal comparisons with general wellbeing. The sample included 142 community participants (47.9% men; age range 23–83 years), who compared themselves with others, and with their younger selves, on eight dimensions (e.g., physical health, resilience). They also completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources of mastery and self-esteem, and three components of subjective wellbeing: life satisfaction and negative and positive affect. The main results showed that high levels of psychological resources contributed to wellbeing, with self-enhancing social and temporal comparisons moderating the effects of resources on certain wellbeing components. Specifically, under low levels of mastery or self-esteem self-enhancing social or temporal comparisons were related to either higher life satisfaction or positive affect. The results highlight the role of resources and comparisons in promoting people’s wellbeing, and suggest that self-enhancing comparisons function as cognitive coping mechanisms when psychological resources are low.

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