Investigating acculturation orientations of patients with an immigration background and doctors in Canada: implications for medical advice adherence.

BACKGROUND: Increased immigration requires successful interaction of different cultures in various life domains, such as health. This study investigates acculturation orientation (AO) of immigrant patients and doctors native to the country, as a potential factor related to perceived medical advice adherence. DATA AND METHODS: N = 171 immigrant patients (M = 54.38 years, SD = 17.94, range = 23-96, 74.3 % female) and their N = 12 doctors (M = 38.88 years, SD = 13.42, range = 27-66, 83 % female) from a hospital in Montreal, Canada, participated in a paper-based survey to assess AOs, patients' perceived expectations of their doctor (regarding adopting the new culture or keeping their previous culture), doctors' actual expectations, perceived quality of care and perceived adherence. RESULTS: AO of patients significantly related to perceived adherence, via a path model involving perceptions of doctors' expectations and perceived quality of care. Integration was positively related to perceived adherence, while Marginalization was negatively related to it. Doctors' AOs were not significant. CONCLUSION: Patient perceptions seem to be a significant factor to be considered when striving to improve immigrant medical advice adherence.

Cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese international students: Effects of distant and close support-seeking.

Introduction: Social support-seeking is considered to be an effective way for international students to cope with their acculturative stress and contribute to cross-cultural adaptation. In addition to support from people in the host country (close support), the ease of online communication now allows international students to receive additional support from people back in their home country (distant support). However, little research has investigated whether distant support works as effectively as close support. In two studies, we examined the differential effect of distant and close support-seeking on the psychological adaptation of Chinese international students in the host country and how acculturation orientations relate to the use of these two types of support. Methods: Chinese international students in Japan (Study 1; N = 172) and the United States (Study 2; N = 118) completed an online survey that assessed participants' host/home culture orientation, distant emotional/instrumental support-seeking, close emotional/instrumental support-seeking, and psychological adaptation. Results: Results showed that distant emotional support-seeking negatively predicted psychological adaptation in the host country. Nevertheless, distant emotional support-seeking alleviated feelings of loneliness in Chinese international students as close emotional support-seeking did (Study 2). Also, the results showed that international students with higher home-culture orientation sought more distant support, whereas those with higher host-culture orientation sought more close support. Further, Chinese-culture orientation increased distant emotional support-seeking, decreasing psychological adaptation as well as loneliness. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of considering the source and types of support when discussing the implications of social support for the cross-cultural adaptation of international students.

The health behaviours of European study abroad students sampled from forty-two countries: Data from a three-wave longitudinal study.

Research on travelling populations indicates that geographic mobility is associated with changes in health behaviours. However, there is currently little longitudinal data recording study abroad students' health behaviours other than alcohol use [1], [2], and that includes a variety of risk and protective factors related to students' demographics and their experiences abroad. The present dataset contains the original longitudinal data from a study of European study abroad students' and includes information on participants health-related behaviour: including physical exercise, diet, alcohol and drug use, and unprotected casual sex. Self-reported data were collected across three waves: on arrival in the host country, to assess pre-departure behaviour (T1), four months through the period abroad (T2), and four months after returning home (T3). Data on factors related to participants' demographics and their abroad experience, including motivations to study abroad, acculturation orientation and adjustment to the host environment, and perceptions regarding different referent peers' drinking behaviour were also collected. Data were collected in the 2015-2016 academic year. At T1 students in 200 cities from more than 40 European countries were approached by representatives from an international student association. Participants who completed at least two surveys were included (N = 908). The T1 survey was completed by 899 students (nine students provided an e-mail address but did not complete the survey at T1), 785 (86.5%) completed T2 survey, and 438 (48.2%) the T3 survey. The data article presents tables charting variables measured by survey wave and participants' socio-demographic and study abroad experience characteristics. With an acceptable drop-out across the three waves, these data may be of interest to researchers who wish to understand factors related to changes in health behaviours in this population and develop targeted health promotion interventions. Other stakeholders such as policy makers, international offices, health professionals in counselling service, student associations may also use these data to develop communication campaigns and intervene with reference to relevant risk and protective factors.

Ethnic Bullying Victimization in Italy: The Role of Acculturation Orientation for Ethnic Minority Adolescents With Differing Citizenship Statuses.

This study examines the role of acculturation orientation toward home and host countries in ethnic bullying victimization, by considering citizenship status and taking into account social withdrawal. Within a larger school project with middle and high school students, we analyzed data on 252 adolescents from immigrant backgrounds: 71 born abroad without Italian citizenship (Males = 71.4%; mean age = 13.98, SD = 1.7); 96 born in Italy to immigrant parents and without Italian citizenship (Males = 58.3%; mean age = 13.26, SD = 1.6); and 85 Italian citizens born in Italy with an immigrant parent (Males = 54.7%; mean age = 13.12, SD = 1.5). At the univariate level we found that the group of adolescents born abroad with foreign parents showed significantly higher levels of ethnic victimization compared to the group of adolescents born in Italy with an Italian parent. The latter also reported a significantly higher mean in Acculturation Orientation toward their Host Country (i.e., Italy) compared to the other two groups. Looking at the processes working within each group, we found differences in the patterns of association between acculturation orientation and ethnic bullying victimization. Specifically, we found a significant and positive association between acculturation orientation toward the home country and ethnic victimization in the two groups of adolescents born in Italy, while acculturation orientation toward the host country seems to be a protective factor only for adolescents with Italian citizenship. Acculturation orientation does not play any role in ethnic victimization for the first generation of immigrants, while for this group we found a stronger positive effect of Social Withdrawal. Citizenship status appears to be a good indicator of belonging to an ethnic minority group with a background of immigration: it seems to catch specific processes in ethnic bullying victimization.