Emotional well-being of Taiwan students in the U.S.: An examination of pre-to post-arrival differential

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Abstract

This paper examines the pre- to post-arrival change in emotional well-being of a group of 171 Taiwan students in the U.S. Emotional well-being was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies —Depression Scale. A multidimensional model postulated to be predictive of change in emotional well-being consisted of pre-arrival well-being, demographics, personality, presence and severity of problems experienced, change of pre- to post-arrival level of control, adequacy of pre-arrival preparation, size of the Chinese community surrounding the student, social support, language competence, and adequacy of financial resources. Over half of the students experienced decline in emotional well-being, while the remainder reported no change or improved mood level. Using a discriminant function, the model variables correctly classified 76% of the cases. Important determinants of group membership were reported levels ofpre-arrival mood, interpersonal problems, social support far away, pre-departure preparation, and academic problems. Predictors of degree of mood change are explored. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Résumé

Nous examinons le bien-être émotionnel (mesuré par l'échelle de dépression du Center for Epidemiological Studies) de 171 étudiants de Taiwan aux Etats-Unis avant et aprés leur arrivée au pays. Pour prédire les changements dans le bien-être émotionnel des sujets, un modèle multidimensionnel qui comprend les variables suivantes est proposé: bien-être avant l'arrivée, statut socio-economique, personnalité, degré de sévérité des problèmes vécus, niveau de contrôle avant et après l'arrivée, préparation avant l'arrivée, taille de la communauté chinoise dans le nouveau milieu, support social, compétences linguistiques et ressources financières. Plus de la moitié des étudiants ont éprouvé une baisse dans leur niveau de bien-être émotionnel, tandis que le reste ne rapporte aucun changement, sinon une amélioration. A l'aide d'une analyse discriminante, les variables du modèle ont permis de classifier correctement 76% des sujets. L'état émotionnel et la préparation avant l'arrivée, les problèmes interpersonnels, la distance du réseau de support social ainsi que les problèmes académiques sont ressortis comme des déterminants significatifs d'appartenance aux groupes. Nous examinons de plus près ces prédicteurs de changement dans l'état émotionnel et discutons des implications des résultats. (author-supplied abstract)

Resumen

Se examinan los cambios en bienestar emocional en un grupo de 171 estudiantes de Taiwan antes y después de su llegada a los Estados Unidos. Bienestar emocional se midió utilizando la Escala de Depresión del Centro para Estudios Epidemiológicos. Se sugiere que cambios en bienestar emocional se pueden predecir por medio de un modelo multidimensional que incluye los siguientes factores: el bienestar antes de la emigración, factores demográficos, personalidad, la presencia y la seriedad de los problemas encontrados, cambios en el nivel de control antes y después de la llegada a los EE.UU., cuan adecuada fue la preparación antes de salir de Taiwan, el tamaño de la comunidad china alrededor del estudiante, apoyo social, habilidad con el idioma, y cuan adecuados son sus recursos económicos. Más de la mitad de los estudiantes experimentaron un empeoro en su bienestar emocional, mientras que el resto reportaron o ningun cambio o un mejoramiento en su estado de ánimo. El modelo estadístico clasifica correctamente a 76% de los casos. Los factores que más determinan a cual grupo pertenece el estudiante son: estado de ánimo antes de llegar a EE.UU, problemas con otras personas, apoyo social lejano, preparación antes de salir de Taiwan, y problemas académicos. Se examinan factores que predicen el nivel de cambio en estado de ánimo. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados. (author-supplied abstract)

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  • Cited by (0)

    We gratefully acknowledge Leonard Miller, Yei-Yu Yeh, Evaon Wong, Mary Lam, Stephen Jiang, and Yi-Chih Ying for their assistance with data collection, preparation, and analysis; Harrison Gough for his guidance in the use of the CPI; David Cohen and Ricardo Munoz for preparing the French and Spanish abstracts; and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Preparation of this article was supported in part by a Junior Faculty Research Grant and a Junior Ladder Faculty Development Grant awarded to the first author by the University of California at Berkeley.

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