Role of attachment in international students' adjustment experiences
Item
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Title
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Role of attachment in international students' adjustment experiences
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:e98fb6ed76c4:11941
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identifier
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12611
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Creator
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Smiljanic, Iskra,
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Contributor
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Jeffrey Rosen
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Date
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2013
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Clinical psychology | Behavioral psychology | acculturative stress | adjustment | attachment | international student
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Abstract
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This study examined the impact of attachment, English proficiency, and previous travel experiences on international students' adjustment experiences. It is suggested that based on an individual's attachment style, the sense of dislocation one experiences upon relocation to a new country can range from feelings of excitement and freedom to varying degrees of stress and anxiety, the latter of which may activate the attachment system. Because a place contains familiar places, people and meanings, this study also explored attachment to places and how extending the boundaries of a familiar space through physical separation affects an individual's relationships and identity.;Data were collected and then analyzed using quantitative and qualitative measures. Ninety-one participants completed online questionnaires assessing their attachment style, prior travel experiences, English proficiency, acculturative stress, and psychological distress symptoms. A subset of 15 participants also participated in an approximately two-hour semi-structured interview about their experiences of studying abroad and the impact that living abroad has had on their identity and relationships.;Results show that higher scores on attachment anxiety were significantly correlated with higher reported acculturative stress. Individuals who scored high on attachment anxiety reported most acculturative stress. In contrast, securely attached individuals reported less acculturative stress. Avoidant individuals reported low acculturative stress, yet their narratives expressed conflicted feelings about being in a new environment and they had ambivalent feelings regarding forming new close relationships. There also appeared to be a parallel between attachment to person and place, as the manner in which participants spoke about places during the interviews corresponded to the quality of their narratives about people. Furthermore, travel experiences and better English proficiency prior to starting college in the US were related to significantly lower acculturative stress.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
