Multicultural personality traits of Chinese university students and their effects on the psychological adjustment in the aftermath of COVID-19 in Shanghai: a scale validation

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore Chinese university students’ multicultural personalities and examine how they predict the psychological adjustment of students in Shanghai. In addition, the validation of Multicultural Personality Questionnaire Short Form (MPQ-SF) scale developed to assess the multicultural personality traits of individuals is also aimed in Chinese context. Data were collected after the psychological stresses from restrictions imposed by COVID-19 in China that influenced life adjustments for nearly three years.MethodA total of 1,099 university students participated in this multi-stage study. First, the Chinese version of MPQ-SF (MPQ-SF-C) was developed and validated. The impact of MPQ-SF-C dimensions was then tested through path analysis to establish the effects of Chinese university students’ multicultural personality traits on their psychological adjustment using the Schwartz Outcome Scale (SOS-10).ResultsThe MPQ-SF-C yielded a five-factor solution which accounted for 60.14% of the common variance. The findings indicated that cultural empathy (β = 0.23, p < 0.05), certainty seeking (β = 0.13, p < 0.05), open-mindedness (β = 0.48, p < 0.05), and emotional stability (β = 0.24, p < 0.05) had significant influences on adjustment. Only flexibility was found to have a statistically insignificant impact on adjustment at this time in this context. MPQ-SF-C and SOS-10 scales represented very good psychometric properties in terms of their reliability and validity.ConclusionThe MPQ-SF-C shows good psychometric properties and appropriateness for evaluating multicultural personalities in Chinese contexts. The multicultural personality characteristics of university students using this scale well predicted their psychological adjustment

The assessment and validation of the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) among frontline doctors in Pakistan during fifth wave of COVID-19

ObjectiveThe study aims to document sociodemographic features, address the symptoms and levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among frontline doctors in Pakistan, and validate the depression, anxiety, stress scale (DASS-21) on the context of Pakistan.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted throughout the regions of Pakistan on frontline doctors to document their sociodemographic patterns and the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress while dealing with the fifth wave (Omicron-variant) of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in Pakistan (December 2021–April 2022). Respondents (N = 319) were recruited through a snowball sampling process.ResultsThough previous literature reported declines in psychological symptoms after earlier waves of COVID-19, these DASS-21 findings show that as the pandemic has worn on, frontline doctors in Pakistan are having considerable personal symptoms of depression (72.7%), anxiety (70.2%), and stress (58.3%). Though specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic, they rated only moderate levels of depression and stress, however they reported severe levels of anxiety. The results also revealed a positive correlation between depression and anxiety (r = 0.696, p < 0.001), depression and stress (r = 0.761, p < 0.001), and anxiety and stress (r = 0.720, p < 0.001).ConclusionThrough the application of all required statistical procedures, DASS-21 is validated in the cultural context of Pakistan among this group of frontline doctors. The findings of this study can provide new directions for the policy makers (government and hospitals' administration) of Pakistan to focus on the mental wellbeing of the doctors under similar enduring public health crises and to protect them from short- or long-term disorders

COVID-19 cases correlate with greater acceptance coping in flexible cultures: A cross-cultural study in 26 countries

The current study examines whether the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and cultural flexibility correlate to one's use of acceptance coping across 26 cultures. We analyzed data from 7476 participants worldwide at the start of the first outbreak from March 2020 to June 2020. Results showed that cultural flexibility moderated the relationship between COVID-19 cases and individuals' acceptance coping strategies. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with more acceptance coping; for cultures with low flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with less acceptance coping. This result demonstrates how participants from flexible cultures can coexist with the realistic challenges and suffering faced during this pandemic

Applying cross-cultural values research to "the Chinese"

Diese Dissertation sucht eine Lücke in der Forschung zur interkulturellen Kommunikation (IKK) zu schließen, bietet damit eine umfassende interdisziplinäre Darstellung und Evaluation westlicher und chinesischer Werteforschung und beschreibt die Ergebnisse von in China durchgeführten Wertestudien, die die Wertetheorie von Schwartz erproben und erweitern. Band 1 enthält (1.) einen historischen Überblick über die Werteforschung und grundlegende Kulturkonzepte in verwandten Disziplinen; (2.) eine Kriterien basierte Analyse der Werteforschung; (3.) eine Abgrenzung des Wertekonzepts und Unterscheidung von anderen verwandten psychologischen Domänen; (4.) eine Neubetrachtung des Spannungsverhältnisses zwischen Moderne und Tradition hin zu einer cluster-basierten Wertematrix; (5.) einen Beitrag zur Bedeutung von Werten vor dem Hintergrund eines beschleunigten sozialen Wandels; (6.) einen historischen Überblick über die Beschreibung von chinesischen Werten aus verschiedenen Perspektiven und ihren Bezügen zur internationalen Forschung, sowie (7.) einen Überblick der aktuellen Werteforschung aus China. Band 2 beinhaltet eine multi-methodisch angelegte Stichprobenuntersuchung, die qualitativ und explorativ Sprache und Kultur anhand von chinesischen Begrifflichkeiten, Ausdrucksweisen und Sprichwörtern untersucht. Mittels einer statistischen Analyse von indigenen Daten wird eine quasi quantitative Untersuchungsmethode konstruiert, die eine Verbindung indigenen emischen Daten mit dem allgemeinen Untersuchungsrahmen für die Abbildung von Wertrelationen nach Schwartz herzustellen vermag. Als wichtigste Ergebnisse der Untersuchung sind: (1) Das universelle Model nach Schwartz wurde mit kleineren kontextbezogenen Modifikationen anhand der chinesischen Daten bestätigt, ebenso (2.) das stetige Auftreten von zehn „dichten kulturellen Clustern“ sowohl auf der Ebene der Kultur als auch des Individuums, womit eine Erweiterung der sieben Bereiche von Schwartz. (3.) Auf der theoretischen Ebene müssen neue Cluster/ Dimensionen beachtet werden, wobei empirisch belegbar eine Teilung von „Embeddedness“ und Egalitarianismus vorgeschlagen wird und es Hinweise darauf gibt, dass es Überschneidungen von Mastery und Hierarchiewerten gibt.This dissertation addresses a gap in intercultural communication research, providing a comprehensive interdisciplinary overview and evaluation of western and Chinese values studies, as well as devising multi-method studies among Chinese to test and expand Schwartz’s values theory. Volume 1 provides a(n) (1) extensive historical review of values and core culture concepts in related disciplines, (2) an integrated check-list of value studies critiques; (3) an attempted detangling of the values concept from other related psychological domains; (4) a rethinking of tradition-modernity assessments, proposing a matrix of co-existing value clusters; (5) the particular relevance of values in rapid social change; (6) a historical summary of Chinese values descriptions with links to international research; and (7) an extensive English review of recent Chinese mainland values research. Volume 2 reports multi-method probes including qualitative language and culture explorations at the term, expression and proverb unit of analysis as well as statistical analysis of indigenous data. It presents exploratory quasi-quantitative procedures for associating indigenous emic data with the Schwartz etic framework for values relation mapping. Consistent cultural clusters, emerging matrix dimensions, and fit statistics are analyzed to propose and analyze value set sub-scales. Main findings include (1) confirmation of the universal Schwartz model in these Chinese samples with some contextual modifications; (2) consistent appearance (at both cultural and individual levels) of ten “thick cultural clusters” that enhance and expand Schwartz’s seven domains; (3) theoretical expansion that in such contexts, new clusters/dimensions need to be considered, with robust evidence to split Embeddedness and Egalitariansm and evidence of some blended Mastery and Hiearchy value sets which deserve reconsideration for how they might reflect interdependent or collective culture reinterpretations. Keys are provided for future research, varied theoretical frameworks are reconsidered, and proposals put forward for a more historically-, contextually-, theoretically- and meaning-based values study research process

Re-examining intercultural research and relations in the COVID pandemic

The authors provide an urgent call for cross- and intercultural scholars to re-examine many of the related themes and classic or contemporary study areas of “intercultural communication” and “intercultural relations” in light of the impacts that the novel coronal (COVID-19) pandemic is having on human interaction both across and within our social-cultural contexts. As scholars focusing on intercultural communications/relations, education, management, psychology, and social issues, the global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a range of intercultural problems or issues that need to be researched to better understand related aspects of human suffering, social disruption, and economic inequalities. New research projects/papers need to address how these impact key intercultural theme/topic areas like cultural attributions/expectations, values/beliefs, identities, perceptions/stereotypes/prejudice, language/speech codes, cultural systems/patterns, acculturation/adaptation, intercultural effectiveness/sensitivity/competence, and conflict (Kulich et al., 2020, Table 3.7). Some research areas and applications potentially affected by COVID are highlighted, including our sense of national/international identity and cooperation, our mediated or actual social networks, our ways of framing or carrying out intercultural or cross-cultural cooperation, new issues emerging in inter-group contact, how we apply cross-cultural taxonomies or dimensions to analyze data, and how these ultimately affect our relationships with each other across all levels of culture (from dyads, to groups, sub- or co-cultures) or express and affirm interculturality at such times. Each area is highlighted by calls for specific types of intercultural research to address these challenges and opportunities.</p

How mask gap impacts discrimination and anxiety during COVID-19: A study on overseas Chinese during the first outbreak in 2020

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought unrelenting waves of xenophobia against people representing vulnerable populations, among them those identified as Asians or more specifically as Chinese. Although previous studies have found that some discriminatory actions against overseas Chinese were closely related to mask use during the pandemic, there is not much evidence that explicates what might be the social-cultural triggers or impact of self-other mask discrepancy. The current study aims to examine how a mask use gap impacts perceived discrimination and anxiety during the first outbreak of COVID-19, and how perceived discrimination mediates the mask gap–anxiety relationship. This was operationalized by developing a new “mask gap” variable to capture the incongruent mask use norms between Chines and others around them in the host country. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of Chinese (n = 745) residing in 21 countries from March to May 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic. Results showed the newly explicated “mask gap” variable was associated with a higher level of anxiety. In addition, perceived discrimination mediated the mask gap-anxiety relationship. These findings advance both theoretical and practical understandings of how incongruent social norms impact discrimination and mental health during health threat events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The results also suggest important implications for both societal responses and the mental health of sojourners or immigrants during pandemics

Ethnic Stereotype Formation and Its Impact on Sojourner Adaptation: A Case of "Belt and Road" Chinese Migrant Workers in Montenegro

Ethnic stereotypes are cognitive markers that are formed and modified because of intercultural contact with a new cultural group. There is now much empirical evidence that explicates how stereotypes of ethnic groups can impact individuals’ acculturation experiences. However, what is unknown is how previously nonexistent ethnic beliefs are formed as a result of contact with the local culture. One hundred and seventy-four (N = 174) overseas Chinese construction workers were contacted through the Chinese Consulate in Montenegro and agreed to participate in the present study. The online questionnaire asked workers to describe Montenegrin majority members in terms of five characteristics. These traits formed the stereotype markers that were classified as positive, neutral, or negative. Sojourners also answered questions that measured perceived cultural distance, social exclusion, knowledge of Montenegrin culture, feelings of social exclusion, and their sociocultural adaptation. Results show that both positive and negative stereotypes are correlated with less social exclusion and better socio-cultural adaptation. Perceived cultural distance, knowledge of host culture and length of stay was mediated by stereotypes on adaptation outcomes. Interestingly longer sojourn did not lessen the type of stereotype, nor did it reduce cultural distance. Contribution to the stereotype literature and practical understanding of how Chinese sojourners see majority members will be discussed

COVID‐19 cases correlates with greater acceptance coping in flexible cultures: A cross‐cultural study in 26 countries

The current study examines whether the prevalence of COVID‐19 cases and cultural flexibility correlate to one's use of acceptance coping across 26 cultures. We analyzed data from 7476 participants worldwide at the start of the first outbreak from March 2020 to June 2020. Results showed that cultural flexibility moderated the relationship between COVID‐19 cases and individuals' acceptance coping strategies. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, COVID‐19 cases correlated with more acceptance coping; for cultures with low flexibility, COVID‐19 cases correlated with less acceptance coping. This result demonstrates how participants from flexible cultures can coexist with the realistic challenges and suffering faced during this pandemic

COVID-19 cases correlate with greater acceptance coping in flexible cultures:A cross-cultural study in 26 countries

The current study examines whether the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and cultural flexibility correlate to one's use of acceptance coping across 26 cultures. We analyzed data from 7476 participants worldwide at the start of the first outbreak from March 2020 to June 2020. Results showed that cultural flexibility moderated the relationship between COVID-19 cases and individuals' acceptance coping strategies. Specifically, for cultures with high flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with more acceptance coping; for cultures with low flexibility, COVID-19 cases correlated with less acceptance coping. This result demonstrates how participants from flexible cultures can coexist with the realistic challenges and suffering faced during this pandemic.</p