Dynamics of acculturation, posttraumatic growth and mental health of international students in South Africa: A multi-method study

Abstract

Background: Acculturative stress has become one of the most serious social problems that have gained significant attention from social and behavioural scientists. Psychological malfunctioning among international students is a significant concern in both developed and developing countries, due to inadequate knowledge on how to prevent such challenges. This study focused on the moderation effects of posttraumatic growth on the association between acculturative stress, student stress and the psychological functioning (mental health) of international students in South African universities.

Methodology: This study was conducted using a mixed-method approach, comprising a mixed-method approach, comparative approach, and moderation. The Embedded Design was a mixed methods design in which one data set (qualitative) provides a supportive, secondary role in a study based primarily on the other data type (quantitative). A crosssectional research design was used in the quantitative aspect of the study to investigate the acculturative stress, student stress, the posttraumatic growth and mental health of international students in South Africa. This research design embodies observations and scrutinizing data from a population at a given time. More so, since this was a mixedmethod study design, the qualitative aspect of the study used a phenomenological design to collect the views of students to describe what they all have in common with regards to their experiences of acculturative stress, student stress, posttraumatic growth and mental health. A total of eight hundred and eleven (N= 811) female and male international students of age 18 to 49 years were randomly chosen using the simple random selection method from the participating universities. Both structured and standardized questionnaires comprising demographic questions, Goldberg Health Questionnaire-12, Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students, student stress inventory, and the posttraumatic growth inventory were used in this study. Results: Acculturative stress factors of homesickness, perceived hate, fear, culture shock, guilt, and miscellaneous acculturative stress, as well as student stress, were directly associated with poor mental health. Posttraumatic growth also emerged as a significant moderator of the negative experiences of international students. With high posttraumatic growth, acculturative stress and student stress had a weaker effect on mental health. Furthermore, age and gender had significant effects on mental health. Being older and being male were associated with improved mental health.

Conclusion: Findings of this study demonstrated that acculturative stress and student stress are determinants of international students' mental health. Posttraumatic growth as a protective factor proved to be a buffer against negative experiences of international students. While international students in South Africa will unavoidably experience acculturative stress in association with other student stress, which will in turn affect their mental health, having experienced some level of posttraumatic growth largely helps to alleviate such conditions