Path Analysis of Acculturative Stress Components and Their Relationship with Depression Among International Students in China.

Abstract

Acculturative stress prevents international students from adapting to the host culture, increasing their risk for depression. International students in China are a growing and at-risk population for acculturative stress and depression. With data from the International Student Health and Behaviour Survey (Yu et al., ) in China, seven acculturative stress components were detected in a previous study (Yu et al., ), including a central component (self-confidence), three distal components (value conflict, identity threat and rejection) and three proximal components (poor cultural competence, opportunity deprivation and homesickness). The current study extended the previous study to investigate the relationship between these components and depression with data also from International Student Health and Behaviour Survey. Participants were 567 students (59% male, 40.4% African, mean age = 22.75, SD = 4.11) recruited in Wuhan, China. The sample scored high on the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (M = 92.81, SD = 23.93) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (M = 0.97, SD = 0.53). Acculturative stress was positively associated with depression; the association between the three distal stress components and depression was fully mediated through self-confidence, while the three proximal components had a direct effect and a self-confidence-mediated indirect effect. These findings extended the value of the previous study, highlighted the central role of self-confidence in understanding acculturative stress and depression and provided new data supporting more effective counselling for international students in China. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.