Investigating Social and Psychological Adaptation Among International Students: A Study of Factors Influencing Wellbeing

The challenges experienced by international students have drawn increasing attention as the body of international students continues to increase globally.The current study investigated the academic, sociocultural and psychological adaptation and well-being of international university students in North Cyprus.The sample of 524 university students was selected using convenience sampling.The sample comprised of local Turkish Cypriot students, and international students both from Turkiye and other countries.SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data, specifically, the Kruskal Wallis, Mann Whitney U and hierarchical regression analysis were employed.The study revealed that academic adaptation and proficiency in the language of instruction were significant predictors of psychopathology.This emphasizes the value international university students place on academic attainment as their primary goal for migration.Psychopathology and academic adaptation have a dual-causal relationship with each other.The results suggest that ethnicity is linked to mental health outcomes.Students from Turkiye reported higher psychopathology scores than international students from other countries.The research outlined several factors that predict better adaptation.Integrative acculturation orientation and higher perceived financial status predicted sociocultural adaption.However, high home culture orientation was predictive of poor psychological adaptation.The finding suggests that efforts towards cultural integration are essential for well-being.The student who explores the local culture while staying secure in their ethnic identity and culture will experience less pathology.