Social and Spiritual Dimensions as Protective Factors in the Relationship between Acculturative Stress and Subjective Well-Being among International Students in Taiwan
The purpose of this study was to use the resilience model in investigating the selected factors that reduce acculturative stress and promote well-being among international students in Taiwan. Research has indicated that acculturative stress has been identified as a major issue experienced by many international students in various host countries, resulting in an increase in mental illness and decrease in well-being. A few international studies suggested that factors such as social support and coping strategies mitigated the effects of acculturative stress on negative emotions. In the absence of such studies and as the international student population continues to increase in Taiwan, this project examined the role of social connectedness, social assurance, and spiritual well-being as potential mediators or protective factors in the relationship between acculturative stress and subjective well-being (positive affect and satisfaction with life) in a sample of international students. Data from 214 participants were subjected to regression analyses to analyze for mediation effects. The results indicated significant effects of social connectedness and spiritual well-being on subjective well-being. Of the two significant mediators, social connectedness emerged as a stronger mediator, accounting for 53% and 55% of the mediation effect on positive affect and satisfaction with life, respectively. Spiritual well-being accounted for 7% and 4% of the variance, respectively. These results validate the resilient and positive psychology model, in which the resilience part evades pathological signs when individuals are exposed to stressors, while the positive aspect promotes subjective well-being. These results are discussed in detail and the implication of such results for building appropriate social and spiritual resources and designing interventions are elucidated.
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