Study of Sociocultural Acculturation Impact on Students’ Mental Health from Chinese Mainland in Hong Kong SAR
- 1 Institute of Policy Study, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- 2 Institute of Policy Study, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- 3 Institute of Policy Study, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- 4 Institute of Policy Study, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Abstract
This study examines the impact of sociocultural acculturation on the mental health of postgraduate students from Chinese mainland in Hong Kong SAR. Utilizing the GHQ-28 and the Acculturative Hassles Scale for Chinese Students (AHSCS), this research identifies the correlation between psychological well-being and sociocultural adaptation. Based on 245 valid responses from a questionnaire survey conducted in October 2024, the findings reveal a significant positive correlation between sociocultural adaptation and mental health. Recommendations are provided for Hong Kong SAR universities to enhance support systems aiding students’ acculturative challenges from Chinese mainland.
- Bhowmik, M. K., Cheung, R. Y., & Hue, M. T. (2018). Acculturative Stress and Coping Strategies among Students from Chinese Mainland University in Hong Kong SAR: A Qualitative Inquiry. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88, 550-562. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000338
- Goldberg, D. P., & Hillier, V. F. (1979). A Scaled Version of the General Health. Questionnaire. Psychological Medicine, 9, 139-145. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700021644
- Lian, Y., & Tsang, K. K. (2010). The Impacts of Acculturation Strategies and Social Support on the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Students from Chinese Mainland in Hong Kong SAR. Educational Research Journal, 25, 81-102.
- Ng, T. K., Wang, K. W. C., & Chan, W. (2017). Acculturation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation: The Moderating Role of Social Support. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 59, 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.04.012
- Pan, J. Y., Ng, P., Young, D. K. W., & Caroline, S. (2017). Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Group Intervention on Acculturation: A Study of Students in Hong Kong SAR from Chinese Mainland. Research on Social Work Practice, 27, 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731516646857
- Pan, J. Y., Yue, X., & Chan, C. L. (2010). Development and Validation of the Acculturative Hassles Scale for Chinese Students (AHSCS): An Example of University Students from Chinese Mainland in Hong Kong SAR. Psychologia , 53, 163-178. https://doi.org/10.2117/psysoc.2010.163
- Razgulin, J., Argustaitė-Zailskienė, G., & Šmigelskas, K. (2023). The Role of Social Support and Sociocultural Adjustment for International Students’ Mental Health. Scientific Reports, 13, Article No. 893. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27123-9
- Sam, D. L., & Berry, J. W. (2010). Acculturation: When Individuals and Groups of Different Cultural Backgrounds Meet. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 472-481. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41613454 https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610373075
- Voevodin, I. V., Peshkovskaya, A. G., Galkin, S. A., & Belokrylov, I. I. (2020). Social Adaptation and Mental Health of Foreign Students in Siberia. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya , No. 11, 157-161. https://doi.org/10.31857/S013216250010306-9
- Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1999). The Measurement of Sociocultural Adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23, 659-677. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(99)00014-0
- Yu, B., & Zhang, K. (2016). “It’s More Foreign than a Foreign Country”: Adaptation and Experience of Students from Chinese Mainland in Hong Kong SAR. Tertiary Education and Management, 22, 300-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2016.1226944