The highs and lows of a cultural transition: A longitudinal analysis of sojourner stress and adaptation across 50 countries.

The impact of living abroad is a topic that has intrigued researchers for almost a century, if not longer. While many acculturation phenomena have been studied over this time, the development of new research methods and statistical software in recent years means that these can be revisited and examined in a more rigorous manner. In the present study we were able to follow approximately 2,500 intercultural exchange students situated in over 50 different countries worldwide, over time both before and during their travel using online surveys. Advanced statistical analyses were employed to examine the course of sojourners stress and adjustment over time, its antecedents and consequences. By comparing a sojourner sample with a control group of nonsojourning peers we were able to highlight the uniqueness of the sojourn experience in terms of stress variability over time. Using Latent Class Growth Analysis to examine the nature of this variability revealed 5 distinct patterns of change in stress experienced by sojourners over the course of their exchange: a reverse J-curve, inverse U-curve, mild stress, minor relief, and resilience pattern. Antecedent explanatory variables for stress variability were examined using both variable-centered and person-centered analyses and evidence for the role of personality, empathy, cultural adaptation, and coping strategies was found in each case. Lastly, we examined the relationship between stress abroad with behavioral indicators of (mal)adjustment: number of family changes and early termination of the exchange program

Nicht jeder Auslandsreisende erlebt einen Kulturschock. Resultate des Projektes 'The Impact of Living Abroad' [Not all sojourners experience culture shock: Evidence from the impact of living abroad project]

The literature on acculturative stress is discussed and an overview is provided of the main models of cultural adaptation, namely the U-curve pattern of adaptation and J-curve pattern of adaptation. Three different aspects of acculturative stress were examined. First, stress trajectories were analysed, and it was found that different exchange students in our sample had qualitatively different experiences in terms of stress and adaptation. A total of 5 distinct stress trajectories emerged, namely U-curve, J-curve, mild stress, mild relief, and resilience patterns. Second, different antecedents of stress were examined, including adaption, personality, and coping. Adaptation was negatively related to stress, such that participants reporting being more adapted showed lower levels of stress. For personality, neuroticism and openness were related to higher levels of stress, but extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and honesty -humility were all related to lower levels of stress. For coping, approach and acceptance coping were related to lower levels of stress, but avoidance and self-blame strategies were related to higher levels of stress. Support in the host country had a buffering effect on stress, but support from people back in the home country lead to an increase in stress. Third, we found that high levels of stress or U-curve and J-curve trajectories were associated with high incidences of family changes and early return. In contrast, students that experienced the resilience trajectory were less likely to change families or return home early