Effect of Social Support from Various Sources on the Adjustment of Chinese Students in Japan

The effect of source of social support on adjustment was examined, using measures of needed support, actual support, and the disparity between the two. The possible sources of social support were Japanese professors, Japanese students, other foreign students, and Japanese friends off-campus. Sixty-four Chinese students in Japan answered questionnaires that included an abbreviated version of the Social Support Scale for Chinese Students in Japan (Jou, 1993) and items about adjustment. The Chinese students who needed more support from Japanese students reported being more poorly adjusted. The Chinese students who received more support from Japanese professors reported being better adjusted, and the Chinese students who thought the support they received from Japanese professors was less than what they needed reported being more poorly adjusted. Thus, the effect of social support on adjustment varied according to source of support.