{"title":"The strength of weak ties in shaping attitudes toward interfaith marriage: Muslim migrants in Western Europe","authors":"Tolga Tezcan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the “strength of weak ties” argument in the formation of interfaith marriage attitudes. Based on the EURISLAM survey data collected from Muslim migrants residing in six Western European countries, the analyses suggest that both strong and weak ties with natives are positively associated with the likelihood of interfaith marriage approval. However, strong and weak ties are not equally influential when they interact with each other. The results reveal a paradox: the positive effect of strong ties becomes more pronounced only when accompanied by weak ties. In the absence of weak ties, an increase in strong ties is associated with a decrease in interfaith marriage approval, which highlights the significance of tie composition in shaping attitudes toward interfaith marriage and supports the “strength of weak ties” argument. Finally, ties are context-dependent function of network composition, individual characteristics, and the countries where migrants settle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102288"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What shapes the social perception of immigrant groups in Kazakhstan? The role of ethnic- and language-based identities and underlying threat and benefit perceptions","authors":"Adil Samekin , Aidos Bolatov , Patrick F. Kotzur","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we go beyond previous literature studying social perception of immigrant groups in Western, rich, educated, industrialized, and democratic contexts by contributing the first study of this kind in Kazakhstan, a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country. Utilizing the stereotype content model framework, we investigated which immigrant groups are salient in Kazakhstani society (pilot study, <em>N</em> = 401). Building on these findings, we examined differences in warmth and competence perceptions across salient immigrant groups in Kazakhstani society in our main study (<em>N</em> = 500). Finally, we investigated the role of the ethnic and language-based identity of the perceiver in shaping the social perceptions for a subgroup of immigrant groups, and extended the stereotype content model framework with the threat and benefit model to investigate whether perceived societal threats or benefits explained these differences. Meaningful differences emerged along both dimensions of warmth and competence. Additionally, findings suggested that Russian-speakers perceived immigrant groups as warmer and more competent than Kazakh-speakers, which was explained by higher benefit rather than threat perceptions. Overall, we contributed novel insights on the social perception of immigrants and its determinants in a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual context, which we hope will provide a fertile ground for future investigations in under-researched areas and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144933246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Factors predicting multicultural acceptance among multicultural adolescents in South Korea: A latent growth model and growth mixture model approach","authors":"Jin-ho An , Haelim Lee , Haejeong Jeong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the increase in international marriages in South Korea, adolescents from multicultural families often face social exclusion, leading to psychological challenges. Yet, research on how they perceive multicultural acceptance and what factors predict their attitudes over developmental stages is limited. Therefore, this study aims to address individual changes and trajectories of group changes in multicultural acceptance. The Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (Waves 4–6) by the National Youth Policy Institute in South Korea (N = 1193, 7–9th Grade) was utilized. Adolescents were identified as those with a Korean father and a foreign-national immigrant mother. Descriptive statistics, the Latent Growth Model (LGM), and Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) were performed to assess distinct profiles of multicultural acceptance. Logistic regression was used to examine predictive factors related to multicultural acceptance. The LGM results showed a trend of increasing multicultural acceptance with individual differences. The GMM results indicated the best fit with three profiles of multicultural acceptance: <em>Increasing</em> (29.3 %), <em>Maintaining</em> (65.4 %), and <em>Decreasing</em> (5.4 %). The logistic regression results showed that adolescents in the <em>Decreasing</em> class who reported higher life satisfaction and better school adjustment were more likely to transition to the <em>Increasing</em> class. Higher self-esteem, better school adjustment, and maternal self-esteem were associated with an increased likelihood of moving to the <em>Increasing</em> class in the <em>Maintaining</em> class. Interventions targeting these predictive factors are needed to increase multicultural acceptance among multicultural adolescents. Human services professionals may employ these findings to implement family functioning and school-based mental health programs promoting multicultural acceptance and boosting self-esteem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102275"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nigar G. Khawaja , Aparna Hebbani , Agata Vitale , Sina Rejali
{"title":"Marital satisfaction of South Asian migrants settled in Australia","authors":"Nigar G. Khawaja , Aparna Hebbani , Agata Vitale , Sina Rejali","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>South Asian married migrants (N = 191), settled in Australia, completed online measures and open-ended questions about their demographics and marital satisfaction. Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Logical hierarchical regression indicated that women had lower levels of marital satisfaction, while an increase in the number of, education, full-time employment, as well as self-reported ‘good’ relationship with their spouse, increased marital satisfaction. The qualitative findings endorsed having a happy and gratifying relationship and communication with spouse, support from extended families, participation in cultural and community activities, and cultural and religious beliefs, as facilitators of high marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was negatively impacted by restrictive socio-cultural norms, patriarchy and gendered roles/responsibilities, interference by extended family, poor communication skills, and spousal conflicts over varying needs, expectations, and views. The findings address gaps in literature and assist in developing appropriate services and policies to support South Asian migrants settled in Western countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102277"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144921380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Love beyond WEIRD: Exploring new contexts and concepts","authors":"Claude-Hélène Mayer","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This <em>special issue</em> of the <em>International Journal of Intercultural Relations</em> focuses on “Love beyond WEIRD: exploring new contexts and concepts”. The collection of articles in this special issue explores love across and in various cultural, intercultural and transcultural contexts and perspectives, representing first authors from eight countries, such as Poland, the United States of America, Portugal, Indonesia, South Africa, Japan, and Macao. Several of the articles were run by large research groups. The authors use quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research methodologies. Altogether, this special issue includes this editorial and 13 articles on “Love beyond WEIRD”, focusing on specific Eastern European, different Asian, South African and African contexts, specific ethnic groups, as well as intercultural and international comparisons of love definitions and concepts across cultures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 102268"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prediction of societal resilience components in a protracted war","authors":"Shaul Kimhi , Hadas Marciano , Yohanan Eshel , Arielle Kaim , Bruria Adini","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current study examines an existing scale for measuring societal resilience for two objectives: first, to explore and verify, using factor analysis, the classification of the tool into varied factors. Second, to examine which psychological, demographic variables, and political preferences, controlling for each other, significantly predict each factor. The study consisted of 957 adult Hebrew-speaking Israelis sampled using an Internet panel company. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated four distinct factors, each predicted significantly by different scales. The factors are (a) 'Trust in the government and its leader' (five items), (b) 'Social integration' (four items), (c) 'Attachment to the country' (four items), and (d) 'Trust in the state institutions' (two items). Path Analysis indicated that six scales significantly predicted at least one of the four factors (presented by level of factor loading): Trust in the government and its leader was predicted by government support, community resilience, hope, and religiosity. Hope, community resilience, and government support predicted attachment to the country. Hope, government support, a sense of danger, age, and community resilience predicted social integration. Trust in state institutions was predicted by government support, religiosity, community resilience, and age. The article offers possible explanations for these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 102273"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144921379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Susan E. Watt, Yvette D. Alcott, Sarah Feng, Adam Keleher, Ned I. Littlewood
{"title":"Don’t you like us? Don’t you want us? The influence of immigrants’ acculturation strategies on cognitions of rejection in host community members","authors":"Susan E. Watt, Yvette D. Alcott, Sarah Feng, Adam Keleher, Ned I. Littlewood","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Host nationals typically perceive immigrants who acculturate by using the separation strategy less positively than those using the other strategies of assimilation, integration, or marginalisation, which result from different combinations of host culture engagement and original culture maintenance. It is possible that seeing the separation strategy, where immigrants avoid the host culture and maintain the original culture, leads to host nationals feeling rejected. We conducted three studies of Australian citizens (total <em>N</em> = 863) to test this experimentally. In each study, participants viewed a vignette portraying an immigrant adopting one of the four acculturation strategies and then rated their cognitions of rejection (CoR) and other outcome variables. All studies revealed a causal effect of acculturation strategy on CoR, with separation producing the highest CoR. In Study 1, CoR then mediated an effect of acculturation strategy on affect towards the immigrant. In Study 2, perceived identification with Australia and CoR, in serial, mediated the effect of acculturation strategy on affect towards and trust of the immigrant. Study 3 demonstrated a generalisation effect where CoR mediated a relationship between acculturation strategy and affect towards immigrants generally. In each study, separation produced the most negative responses. Together, these results show affective consequences of immigrants’ acculturation strategy, where feeling rejected due to acculturation strategy leads to less positive emotions towards the immigrant, less positive stereotyping, and reduced trust.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 102271"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144902801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tomasz Besta , Emma Thomas , Michał Olech , Paweł Jurek , Danny Osborne , Marek Palace , Gülçin Akbas , Julia C. Becker , Maja Becker , Tymofii Brik , Maria Chayinska , Makiko Deguchi , Sandesh Dhakal , Kaltrina Kelmendi , Anna Kende , Soledad Lamus , Paul Le Dornat , Angela Leung , Sarah E. Martiny , Rie Mizuki , Martijn van Zomeren
{"title":"When (and where) do pandemics foster anti-migrant actions? Individual-, contextual- and societal-level drivers affecting social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Tomasz Besta , Emma Thomas , Michał Olech , Paweł Jurek , Danny Osborne , Marek Palace , Gülçin Akbas , Julia C. Becker , Maja Becker , Tymofii Brik , Maria Chayinska , Makiko Deguchi , Sandesh Dhakal , Kaltrina Kelmendi , Anna Kende , Soledad Lamus , Paul Le Dornat , Angela Leung , Sarah E. Martiny , Rie Mizuki , Martijn van Zomeren","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on anti-migrant actions has produced conflicting results, which we aimed to better understand through a multi-level and context-sensitive approach. Specifically, we investigated individual- (social dominance orientation; SDO), group- (identification), contextual- (attribution of migrants’ responsibility for the pandemic), and societal-level (Migrant Integration Policy Index and Democracy Index) correlates of anti-migrant collective action. Multi-level analyses from 21 countries (N = 4493) revealed that SDO correlated positively with identification with anti-migrant movements. However, believing that the pandemic emerged due to migration (contextual-level variable) and inclusive migration policies (societal-level variable) moderated the link between SDO and willingness to join anti-migrant actions. Those high on SDO who also believed the pandemic was due to migration were the most willing to pursue anti-migrant activities. Finally, SDO predicted anti-migrant collective actions, but only in countries with inclusive migration policies. These results uncover the contextual- and societal-level factors that exacerbate the relationship between SDO and anti-migrant actions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 102269"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144892906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rasa Soufi Amlashi , Mohammad Reza Majzoobi , Simon Forstmeier
{"title":"Acculturative stress and psychological well-being: The mediating role of social support, difficulties in emotion regulation, and meaning-centered coping style among international students in Germany","authors":"Rasa Soufi Amlashi , Mohammad Reza Majzoobi , Simon Forstmeier","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One of the common trends in today’s world is studying abroad. Acculturative stress is one of the major challenging factors which international students face in the host country and might affect their psychological well-being (PWB). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between acculturative stress and PWB through the mediating role of social support, difficulties in emotion regulation (DIER), and meaning-centered coping style (MCCS) in international students studying in Germany. This was a cross-sectional study, the statistical population of which included all international students studying at German universities in 2024, among whom a sample of 443 people were selected. The measures used in this study were Sandhu and Asrabadi’s acculturative stress, Ryff’s PWB, Ong and Ward’s social support, Gratz and Roemer’s DIER, and Eisenbeck et al.’s MCCS questionnaires. Data were analyzed through Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling in SPSS 26 and LISREL 10 software. The findings indicated that acculturative stress was significantly associated with PWB through three pathways of social support, DIER, and MCCS. As such, it was found that acculturative stress was negatively related to social support and MCCS, which, in turn, was positively associated with PWB. Moreover, acculturative stress was positively related to DIER, which, in turn, negatively related to PWB. The findings provide important information to policymakers, therapists, and counselors involved in stress management among international students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 102272"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring language diversity dimensions and differences in meaningful experiences during short-term study abroad (STSA)","authors":"Marina Iskhakova , Dana L. Ott , Andrew Bradly","doi":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijintrel.2025.102270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how students' engagement in meaningful experiences during short-term study abroad (STSA) programs differ across varying language diversity dimensions. While STSA has become one of the most widely adopted forms of international experience by universities worldwide, the role of language diversity dimensions has been under-examined. Drawing on experiential learning theory we investigate differences in meaningful experiences based on whether participants are monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual and whether the host country is English-speaking or non-English-speaking. Then, we explore the intersection of these two language diversity dimensions to better understand whether students’ engagement in meaningful experiences during STSA differs when both language repertoire and host country language are combined. Our findings are based on the learning journals of 116 undergraduate business students who participated in a two-week immersive study tour. Through our exploration, we provide important implications about the role of language in STSA. We also highlight recommendations for global mobility providers and higher education institutions who design and develop international education opportunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48216,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Intercultural Relations","volume":"108 ","pages":"Article 102270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144886112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}