Acculturative Stress, Chinese Proactive Coping, Time Perspective, and Subjective Well-being among Chinese International Students: A Moderation Model

Abstract

Acculturative stress is a type of stress related to adapting to a new culture that is often experienced by Chinese international students on U.S. college campuses. However, there is a lack of study about how they use culturally relevant coping strategies to cope with acculturative stress and enhance well-being. Based on Berry’s (2003) theoretical framework for acculturation and Heppner et al.’s (2014) Cultural and Contextual Model of Coping, this study explored the a three-way interaction including acculturative stress, Chinese proactive coping, and future time perspective in predicting Chinese international students’ subjective well-being. A total of 198 students participated in this study by completing an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate the moderation model. Results indicated acculturative stress and subjective well-being were negatively correlated associated. Further, despite no significant moderation effects were found in current study, findings do indicate that Chinese proactive coping, future time perspective, and perceived English proficiency were significantly associated with subjective well-being. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for clinical practice are discussed.