Personality, acculturation strategies, and acculturative stress: A study of Korean international students in cross-cultural context

Relocating to the United States influences the perceptions of Chinese men on manhood and their attitudes toward interracial relationships between Chinese women and American men. In this study, we examined how the intersection of gender and race in a cross-cultural context shaped constructions of masculinity of young male Chinese international students and scholars, and how racialized masculinity experiences influenced their relationships with women and with peer U.S. men. We interviewed 18 Chinese men (Mean age = 26.06 years, range = 20-30) and used thematic analysis to analyze in-depth interview data. We found that some men adopted flexible, protective, and diverse strategies to reclaim their masculinity by reconciling American and Chinese masculinities. Others felt degraded and took a negative attitude toward the interracial relationship between Chinese women and American men. Despite the influence of cross-cultural contexts, the Chinese patriarchal Confucian tradition exerted a strong influence on participants’ masculinity construction.

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Cross-Cultural Differences in Adjustment to Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199778072.013.31 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jane M. Onoye ◽

Deborah Goebert ◽

Leslie Morland

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Acculturative Stress ◽

Postpartum Period ◽

Cultural Difference ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Research ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Perinatal Mental Health

Cultural context is important to understanding cross-cultural difference in adjustment to pregnancy and the postpartum period. Culture is complex, with interrelated variables posing challenges for research. Highlighted with examples of research with women from Western, Eastern, Native, and Other cultures, the chapter discusses variables such as acculturation and acculturative stress, social support, religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and help-seeking and utilization of services in perinatal mental health and adjustment. Although rates of psychiatric symptoms and disorders vary across cultures, postpartum depression is universal and most often reflected in the perinatal mental health literature. Research on interventions and services mainly examine Western approaches as standard models of health care; however, understanding cultural context can help to inform directions for intervention adaptations or tailoring through a “cultural lens.” There are growing segments of cross-cultural perinatal mental health research, but many gaps still remain.

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Is the Utility of Secondary Coping a Function of Ethnicity or the Context of Reception? A Longitudinal Study Across Western and Eastern Cultures

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology ◽

10.1177/0022022117719158 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 1230-1246 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Agnes Szabo ◽

Alexander S. English ◽

Zeng Zhijia ◽

Paul Jose ◽

Colleen Ward ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

New Zealand ◽

International Students ◽

Acculturative Stress ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Somatic Symptoms ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Negative Effects

Although cross-cultural research suggests that the development and functionality of secondary coping strategies are substantially influenced by the broader cultural context, research findings are not completely conclusive. Some studies indicate that secondary coping is more adaptive for Asian participants compared with Westerners, while others emphasize the adaptability of the coping style in Asian, but not Western, contexts. The main objective of the present study was to systematically test for ethnic and contextual differences in the effectiveness of secondary strategies (measured in the form of acceptance and positive reinterpretation) in reducing the negative effects of acculturative stress on somatic symptoms with samples of international students. A 3-month longitudinal study was conducted in two different contexts: (a) Asian and Western international students in China (Asians: n = 53, Westerners: n = 51) and (b) similar groups in New Zealand (Asians: n = 61, Westerners: n = 65). The data were subjected to a hierarchical regression analysis with changes in psychological symptoms functioning as the dependent variable. Findings indicated that stress, secondary coping, and cultural context significantly interacted in predicting changes in somatic symptoms. Specifically, secondary coping exacerbated the negative effects of acculturative stress on psychological adjustment in New Zealand. In contrast, secondary coping functioned as a buffer in China, such that it was effective at reducing the negative impact of stress over time. Findings indicated that ethnicity did not significantly moderate the stress–coping–adjustment relationship. Our results show that the effectiveness of secondary coping varies as a function of the cultural context.

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Acculturation Process and Life Domains: Different Perceptions of Native and Immigrant Adults in Italy

The Open Psychology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874350101912010055 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 55-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nadia Rania ◽

Stefania Rebora ◽

Laura Migliorini ◽

Maria Soledad Navas

Keyword(s):

Cultural Context ◽

Cultural Psychology ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Real Plane ◽

Extended Model ◽

Life Domains ◽

Specific Domain ◽

Acculturation Strategies ◽

Acculturation Process ◽

Is Integration

Background: Acculturation process has taken up a relevant place in cross-cultural psychology by demonstrating the strong relationships between cultural context and individual behavioral development. Aim: The purpose of this study is to analyse acculturation strategies and attitudes in different life domains of native and immigrant adults living in Italy, following the Relative Acculturation Extended Model (RAEM). Methods: The participants were 250 Italian native and 100 immigrant adults who completed a questionnaire with items to measure their acculturation strategies (real plane) and attitudes (ideal plane), in general and related to different life domains (peripheral and central). Results: Results revealed that the acculturation attitude of immigrants is integration, whereas Italians prefer their assimilation. Conclusion: However, when different life domains are taken into account, immigrants claim to put in practice and prefer integration in most of the domains, whereas Italians perceive immigrants are separated but they prefer their assimilation or integration, depending on the specific domain.

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‘Lifting the shell’: expressions of emotion and cross-cultural struggle in international students

Holiness ◽

10.2478/holiness-2016-0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 313-336

Author(s):

Rebekah Callow

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

International Students ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Culture Shock ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cultural Model ◽

International Context ◽

The World ◽

Cultural Struggle

AbstractResearch has shown that while humans around the world hold various emotions in common with one another – sadness, happiness, fear and anger – the expression of these emotions can look different depending on the culture. This article explores the different expressions of ‘struggle’ that arise when a person experiences ‘culture shock’ or ‘culture stress’ due to life in a cross-cultural context. The article argues that in the increasingly international context of higher education, urgent attention needs to be given to these different cultural expressions of struggle, in order to better understand students’ experiences and provide effective coping strategies. Richard Lewis's cultural model is developed for use in this context.

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