Acculturation, Internet use, and psychological well-being among Chinese international students

AbstractIn this study, the authors examined the relationships of acculturation as measured with two subscales of cultural maintenance and cultural assimilation, Internet use, and psychological wellbeing among Chinese international students. A total of 170 Chinese international students participated in this study. Bivariate correlation analyses revealed that an individual can identify with two different cultures, minority and dominant culture. Results of multiple regression indicated that cultural assimilation was a significant predictor to psychological well-being, but not cultural maintenance. The study also found that younger Chinese international students (e.g., students pursuing bachelor's degrees) suffered significantly higher levels of stress and depression in the acculturation process as compared to their older counterparts. Implications for counseling and recommendations for future research were discussed.Keywords: Acculturation; Internet use; Psychological well-being; Chinese international students.Educational globalization creates international training opportunities for students all over the world (Hallak, 1998). Recently, an increasing number of international students choose to continue their education in the United States higher education institutions. In the 2010-2011 academic year, of 723,277 international students studying on campuses in the United States, 50% were from Asian countries, with China and India representing the two largest portions of students (Institute of International Education, 2011). China was the leading place of origin for international students, with 157,558 students from China studying in the U.S., accounting for more than 21.8% of the total international student population (Institute of International Education, 2011). The longitudinal research revealed that adopting a new cultural environment (acculturation as defined by International Organization for Migration, 2004) has a great social and psychological influence on ethnic minority individuals (Berry, 1997; Bochner, 2006; Ward, Bochner, & Furnham, 2001; Zhou, Jindal-Snape, Topping, & Todman, 2008). Empirical findings indicated that psychological problems such as depression, loneliness, and homesickness are commonly encountered by international students during the acculturation process (Chae & Foley, 2010; Brunette, Lariviere, Schinke, Xing, & Pickard, 2011; Ye, 2005). Further, a review of past research on the relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being has yielded several mixed findings. Some researchers argued that the Internet has an overall positive effect on well-being (Shaw & Grant, 2002; Wesier, 2001). Others found that Internet use has the negative influence on psychological well-being (Chen & Persson, 2002; Wang & Sun, 2009). A review of literature indicated that no studies have yet been done on the relationships of acculturation, Internet use, and psychological well-being among Chinese international students. As such, the purpose of this research was to (a) examine the relationships of these three variables (i.e., acculturation, Internet use, and psychological well-being), and (b) generate suggestions for future research in this area.Literature ReviewAcculturationAccording to Berry, Phinney, Sam, and Vedder (2006), the classic definition of acculturation originated in anthropology and was first proposed by Redfield, Linton, and Herskovists (1936); it focuses on "continuous first-hand contact" between different cultures (p. 149). More than a halfcentury later, the International Organization for Migration (IOM; 2004) revised the term acculturation as "the progressive adaptation of elements of a foreign culture by persons, groups or classes of a given culture" (p. 5). As a dynamic socialization phenomenon, acculturation was primarily described and interpreted as either unidimensional, in which individuals or groups substitute the dominant cultural identity for their original one (Gordon, 1964; LaFromboise, Coleman & Gerton, 1993; Triandis et al. …