Where's the "Culture" in Cross-Cultural Transition?: Comparative Studies of Sojourner Adjustment

Abstract

Research examined psychological and sociocultural adjustment during cross-cultural transitions in two groups of sojourners. One hundred and forty-five Malaysian and Singaporean students in New Zealand and 156 Malaysian students in Singapore participated in the studies. In line with past sojourner research, results revealed that locus of control, life changes, social difficulty, and social support variables predicted psychological adjustment during cross-cultural transitions. In contrast, length of residence in the host culture, cultural distance, interaction with host nationals and co-nationals, extroversion, acculturation strategies, and mood disturbance predicted sociocultural adaptation. In addition to these general findings, culture-specific results also emerged; high host national contact and cultural integration were associated with mood disturbance in Malaysian sojourners in Singapore. As expected, Malaysian and Singaporean students in New Zealand experienced greater social difficulty than Malaysian students in Singapore although there was no significant difference in mood disturbance. Also consistent with the hypothesis, the magnitude of the correlation between psychological and sociocultural adjustment was significantly greater in the Singapore-based compared to the New Zealand-based sample.