Acculturation, Enculturation, Social Connectedness, and Subjective Well-Being Among Chinese International Students

The study examined links from acculturation experience (i.e., acculturation and enculturation) through coping strategies (i.e., social connectedness [SC]) to short-term outcomes (i.e., future subjective well-being [SWB]). Using a longitudinal design, 213 Chinese international students completed an online survey. Results partially supported two mediation hypotheses: Mainstream SC at Time 2 partially mediated the association between acculturation at Time 1 and life satisfaction and positive affect (but not negative affect) at Time 2; Ethnic SC at Time 2 partially mediated the association between enculturation at Time 1 and negative affect (but not life satisfaction and positive affect) at Time 2. Furthermore, unexpectedly, Mainstream SC at Time 2 partially mediated the association between enculturation at Time 1 and life satisfaction and positive affect (but not negative affect) at Time 2. Therefore, Mainstream SC and Ethic SC are both important coping resources for Chinese international students.