Communicating in a different culture: Identifying acculturative stress among international students in South Korea

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinbong Choi ◽  
Wonjun Chung
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Supports ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Communication Intervention ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The Relationship

Using online survey data obtained from a total of 174 international students from outside Asia currently attending six universities in South Korea, this study tested hypotheses regarding the relationship between acculturative stress and depression, and the roles of social resources (e.g. social supports from the host country) and psychological resources (e.g. selfesteem and locus of control) in moderating the nature of the stress–depression relation. It was found that international students who reported that they had experienced acculturative stress, mainly due to language barriers and the perception of academic dissimilarities, had higher depression levels than those who reported fewer or no such experiences. This study also revealed a three-way interaction of all variables on depression, indicating that both social and psychological resources played moderating roles in diminishing the strength of the relationship between acculturative stress and depression. Based on those findings, it is argued that more proactive, culturally sensitive communication intervention efforts at South Korean colleges are needed to help the growing numbers of international students cope with acculturative stress and mental illness, which they often encounter in a new culture and education.

Fear of Crime among Female North Korean Defectors in South Korea

2021 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2199236
Author(s):  
Jaeyong Choi ◽  
Tay Hack ◽  
Julak Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
Korean Immigrants ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The North ◽  
North Korean Defectors ◽  
Smooth Transitions

Although some studies have focused on immigrants’ fear of crime in the United States, it is important to point out that the number of North Korean defectors to South Korea has rapidly increased since the 1990s. Therefore, understanding factors associated with fear of crime for North Korean immigrants, especially female defectors, is important for ensuring their successful transitions into South Korean culture. The present study used existing survey data from a sample of female North Korean defectors to explore factors related to fear of crime. Results indicate that the number of North Korean friends, language proficiency, and patriarchal attitudes toward gender were significant predictors of fear of crime for the North Korean female defectors. Findings are described and discussed as a potential source for policymaking to reduce North Korean immigrants’ acculturative stress and fear of crime and to encourage smooth transitions into new cultures.

scholarly journals Examining the Relationship between Motivations and Resilience in Different International Student Groups Attending US Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-319
Author(s):  
Heba Mostafa ◽  
Yongsun Lim
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivations

Advancing diversity and inclusion in the U.S. higher education requires a solid understanding of the dynamics of students’ mobility. This study investigated the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that lead different international student groups to study in American universities, in connection with their resilience in overcoming the inevitable higher education challenges. An online survey was completed by 164 international students at three research universities. Pearson correlation coefficient analyses and independent t tests were conducted to examine the relationships among three variables—intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and resilience—along with the differences among groups. Results show a medium-sized positive significant relationship between international students’ intrinsic motivations and resilience, and significant differences among groups of students in relation to intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Mental Health among International Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11381
Author(s):  
Hae Ran Kim ◽  
Eun Jung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Web Based ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The Government

The purpose of this study was to investigate mental health problems among international students in South Korean universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to identify the factors that affect their mental health. A total of 488 international students living in South Korea participated in a web-based survey. The questionnaire was created using the Google Forms platform, and a link to the questionnaire was shared through social media. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the data. The prevalence rates of sleep problems, anxiety, and depression among international students were 47.1%, 39.6%, and 49%, respectively. The prevalence of mental health problems was higher among participants who were male, living with someone, residents of a rural area, and earning a higher income. The following variables were found to contribute to the prevalence of mental health problems: undergraduate student status, good understanding of the Korean language, longer hours of media usage, and experiences related to COVID-19 infection. A collaborative effort between the government and universities to manage the mental health of international students could promote the mental health of these students.

Coping, multicultural personality, acculturative stress and psychological adjustment among Chinese international students

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ran Zhao
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Multicultural Personality ◽  
The Relationship

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The present study examined coping appraisal as a mediator, collectivistic coping styles, and multicultural personality as moderators, between perceived acculturative stress and psychological adjustment among a sample of 178 Chinese international students in United States. Structural Equation Modeling analyses indicated that coping appraisal partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stress and psychological adjustment, and multicultural personality moderated the relationship between acculturative stress and psychological adjustment. Hierarchical regression analyses cross-verified the moderating effects and specifically indicated that the association between acculturative stress and psychological adjustment was weaker as Emotional Stability (one of the multicultural personality factors) increased. None of the collectivist coping styles serve as significant moderators for acculturative stress and psychological adjustment. Implications of this study's findings among Chinese international students were discussed.

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance in South Korea: The Mediating Roles of Dynamic Capabilities and Corporate Entrepreneurship

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Euncheon Lim ◽  
Dohyeon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
The South ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
South Korean ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Although a cumulative body of literature explains entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance, there remain differing views on the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of EO on firm performance by considering the roles of dynamic capabilities (DC) and corporate entrepreneurship (CE). We propose that DC and CE mediate the relationship between EO and firm performance, and our empirical results support these propositions. This study fills a gap in the literature on the EO–performance relationship by considering the linkages among disposition, capabilities, and activities in the South Korean context.

The importance of team psychological safety climate for enhancing younger team members’ innovation-related behaviors in South Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-368
Author(s):  
Timothy R Moake ◽  
Nahyun Oh ◽  
Clarissa R Steele
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Safety Climate ◽  
Work Teams ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Team Members ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Categorization Theory ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Relationship

Indigenous cultural nuances such as age-related hierarchies in South Korea have the potential to impact workers’ engagement in innovation-related behaviors (IRBs). We use self-categorization theory to examine both the relationship between employee age and IRBs and the cross-level interaction effects of team psychological safety climate. Using a multilevel sample of 282 South Korean employees working in 65 teams across 45 different organizations in various industries, we find that team psychological safety climate moderates the relationship between age and engaging in IRBs. More specifically, we find that when teams have a weaker psychological safety climate, age is positively related to engaging in IRBs. However, when teams have a stronger psychological safety climate, age is not related to engaging in IRBs. We discuss the implications of these findings for innovation and managing work teams in Eastern contexts.

The Impact of Candidates’ Negative Traits on Vote Choice in New Democracies: A Test Based on Presidential Elections in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-228
Author(s):  
HeeMin Kim ◽  
Jungho Roh
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Personal Traits ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Election Studies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Western Democracies

The impact of candidates’ negative traits (CNTs) on voting behavior has received significant attention in election studies in recent decades. However, scholarly efforts have focused primarily on elections in advanced Western democracies, largely overlooking the relationship between candidates’ personal traits and the electorate’s voting behaviors in the context of new democracies. In this study, we fill this gap by investigating the impact of CNTs on the electorate’s vote choices in South Korean presidential elections. Our study of CNTs in South Korea shows that CNTs have statistically significant effects on the electorate’s vote choices. Our findings are particularly relevant because many new democracies are implementing fair and free elections, and the elites under previous authoritarian regimes are running in these elections.

scholarly journals Twitter and Encountering Diversity: The Moderating Role of Network Diversity and Age in the Relationship Between Twitter Use and Crosscutting Exposure

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630511771724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Sup Park ◽  
Barbara K. Kaye
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Older People ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Public Expression ◽  
Network Diversity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

This article investigates whether Twitter use motivations relate to exposure to discordant information. To this end, this research conducted an online survey of 1,350 adults of South Korea. The results reveal that using Twitter for information-seeking, public-expression, and leisure-seeking purposes helps users to encounter crosscutting exposure, while the use of Twitter for private expression does not. Offline network diversity has a significant association with crosscutting exposure, and it moderates the relationship between Twitter use for public expression or leisure seeking and crosscutting exposure. The positive association between Twitter use for leisure seeking and crosscutting exposure is stronger among younger people than among older people.

scholarly journals Cultural intelligence, Age and Prior Travel Experience as Predictors of Acculturative Stress and Depression among International Students Studying in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werede Tareke Gebregergis ◽  
Fei Huang ◽  
Jiangzhong Hong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Future Study ◽  
Cultural Intelligence ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Travel Experience ◽  
The Relationship

Mental health problems commonly prevail among international students as a result of acculturative difficulties. In light of this, the studyattempted to determine the role of cultural intelligence, age and prior travel experience on acculturative stress and depression and also whether acculturative stress mediatedthe cultural intelligence-depression relationship. 506international university students studying in China completeda battery of tests assessing their cultural intelligence, acculturative stress and depression. Cultural intelligence showed significantly negativecorrelationswith both acculturative stress and depression.  Students’ prior travel experiences and age also significantlycorrelated withboth acculturative stress and depression. Acculturative stress mediated the relationship between cultural intelligence and depression. Implication, limitations and future study directions were discussed as well.

scholarly journals Jeitinho as a Coping Strategy Used by Brazilian International Students for Acculturative Stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 815-833
Author(s):  
Silvia Alves Nishioka ◽  
Defne Akol
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Coping Strategy ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
Negative Dimension ◽  
The Us ◽  
Brazilian Students

This mixed-method study examined whether Brazilian students in the US use an indigenous problem-solving practice, jeitinho, as a coping strategy for acculturative stress. Forty-two participants answered an online survey, which was a culmination of demographic information, the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students, BriefCOPE, jeitinho questionnaire, and three open-ended questions about how Americans may perceive jeitinho. Results showed that a negative dimension of jeitinho was associated with nonadaptive coping strategies, but it was not a significant predictor of acculturative stress. Qualitative themes highlighted the multidimensionality of jeitinho, which could help in students’ adjustment (positive) or reinforce stereotypes and prejudices (negative) against Brazilians. Findings elucidate the complexity of jeitinho Brazilian students can be mindful about and when to use it to avoid stereotyping.

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