Acculturation attitudes and mental health of international students in their first year

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to show relationship between acculturation attitudes and mental health of international students in their first year in Japan. Of 53 new international students at a university, 50 (36 male and 14 female), 19.2 years old on average, completed a questionnaire in May (one month after the arrival), October (six months later), and March of the following year (the last month of the first academic year). The questionnaire consisted of two parts: Acculturation Attitude Scale and SCL-90-R Mental Health Scale. The former was based on Kim (1988) and measured four types of acculturation attitudes: Integration, Assimilation, Separation, and Marginalization (Berry, 1990, 1992; Berry, Trimble, & Olmedo, 1986). Results indicated that effects of acculturation attitudes on mental health of international students became clear in the last month of their first year. It is argued that helping students' integration attitude has beneficial effects on their mental health.