Cross-Ethnic Self-Disclosure Buffering Negative Impacts of Prejudice on International Students' Psychological and Social Well-Being
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i1.279Keywords:
depression, loneliness, prejudice, self-disclosure, personalization modelAbstract
Intergroup contact theory suggests that developing a close relationship with outgroup members ameliorates the negative impact of prejudice that individuals perceive from outgroup members. This article specifically investigates the moderating role of cross-ethnic self-disclosure in the link between international students’ perceived ethnic/racial prejudice and depression as well as loneliness. One hundred and forty-three international students in Japan were asked to rate their perceived prejudice, depression, and loneliness as well as their self-disclosure to host nationals. The results showed that self-disclosure buffers the negative effects of prejudice on depression and loneliness such that international students who were more likely to disclose themselves to host nationals were less likely to be influenced by prejudice. Theoretical and practical contributions are considered.
References
Adams, G. R., & Sheam, J. A. (1981). Talking and loving: A cross-lagged panel investigation. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 2, 81–88.
Adams, R. E., & Cantin, S. (2013). Self-disclosure in friendships as the moderator of the association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms in overweight adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 33, 341–362.
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. New York: Doubleday Anchor.
Altman, I., & Taylor, D. (1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
Archer, R. L., Berg, J. H., & Runge, T. E. (1980). Active and passive observers’ attraction to a self-disclosing other. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 120–130.
Benner, A. D., & Wang, Y. (2016). Racial/ethnic discrimination and adolescents’ well-being: The role of cross-ethnic friendships and friends’ experiences of discrimination. Child Development, 88, 493–504.
Berg, J. H., & Archer, R. L. (1983). The disclosure-liking relationship: Effects of self perception, order of disclosure, and topical similarity. Human Communication Research, 10, 269–282.
Berg, J. H., & Wright-Buckley, C. (1988). Effects of racial similarity and interviewer intimacy in a peer counseling analogue. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35, 377–384.
Bevis, T. B. (2002). At a glance: International students in the United States. International Educator, 11, 12–17.
Bian, M., & Leung, L. (2014). Smartphone addiction: Linking loneliness, shyness, symptoms and patterns of use to social capital. Media Asia, 41, 159–176.
Bochner, A. P. (1982). On the efficacy of openness in closed relationships. In M. Burgoon (Ed.), Communication yearbook 5, (pp. 109–124). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
Brewer, M. B., & Miller, N. (1984). Beyond the contact hypothesis: Theoretical perspectives on desegregation. In N. Miller & M. B. Brewer (Eds.), Groups in contact: The psychology of desegregation (pp. 281–302). New York: Academic Press.
Brisset, C., Safdar, S., Lewis, J. R., & Sabatier, C. (2010). Psychological and sociocultural adaptation of university students in France: The case of Vietnamese international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 413–426.
Chaikin, A. L., & Derlega, V. J. (1974). Liking for the norm-breaker in self-disclosure. Journal of Personality, 42, 117–129.
de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T., & Dykstra, P. A. (2006). Loneliness and social isolation. In A. Vangelisti, & D. Perlman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships. (pp. 485–500). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Derlega, V. J., & Grzelak, J. (1979). Appropriateness of self-disclosure. In G. J. Chelune (Ed.), Origins, patterns and implications of openness in interpersonal relationships (pp. 151–176). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Derlega, V. J., Metts, S., Petronio, S., & Margulis, S. T. (1993). Self-disclosure. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Ensari, N., & Miller, N. (2002). Out-group must not be so bad after all: The effects of personalization, typicality and salience on intergroup bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 313–329.
Ensari, N., & Miller, N. (2005). Prejudice and intergroup attributions: The role of personalization and performance feedback. Group Process & Intergroup Relations, 8, 391–410.
Farber, B. A. (2006). Self-disclosure in psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Gortner, E., Rude, S. S., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2006). Benefits of expressive writing in lowering rumination and depressive symptoms. Behavior Therapy, 37, 292–303.
Hanassab, S. (2006). Diversity, international students, and perceived discrimination: Implications for educators and counselors. Journal of Studies in International Education, 10, 157–173.
Harrison, P. (2002). Educational exchange for international understanding. International Educator, 11, 2–4.
Imai, T. (2017). How you see us hurts me! Influences of metastereotypes that international students hold on their self-disclosure, loneliness and depression. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46, 385–399.
Iwao, S., & Hagiwara, S. (1988). Foreign students studying in Japan: Social psychological analysis. Tokyo: The Keiso Shobo.
Japan Student Services Organization. (2017). Results of survey on international students in 2017. Retrieved from
https://www.jasso.go.jp/about/statistics/intl_student_e/2017/index.html
Jung, E., Hecht, M. L., & Wadsworth, B. C. (2007). The role of identity in international students’ psychological well-being in the United States: A model of depression level, identity gaps, discrimination, and acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31, 605–624.
Kitsantas, A. (2004). Studying abroad: The role of college students’ goals on the development of cross-cultural skills and global understanding. College Student Journal, 38, 441–452.
Lee, J. J., & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53, 381–409.
Lepore, S. J. (1997). Expressive writing moderates the relation between intrusive thoughts and depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1030–1037.
Leung, L. (2002). Loneliness, self-disclosure, and ICQ (“I seek you”) use. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 5, 241–251.
Maruyama, M. (1998). Cross-cultural adaptation and host environment: A study of international students in Japan (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://shareok.org/handle/11244/5757
Miller, N. (2002). Personalization and the promise of contact theory. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 387–410.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2016). Education at a glance 2016: OECD Indicators. Paris, France: Author. Retrieved from http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/education-at-a-glance-2016_eag-2016-en
Parks, M. R. (1981). Ideology in interpersonal communication: Off the couch and into the world. In M. Burgoon (Ed.), Communication yearbook 5, (pp. 79–108). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
Patron, M. (2014). Loss and loneliness among international students. Psychology Journal, 11, 24–43.
Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8, 162–166.
Pettigrew, T. F. (1997). Generalized intergroup contact effects on prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 173–185.
Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 65–85.
Poyrazli, S., & Lopez, M. D. (2007). An exploratory study of perceived discrimination and homesickness: A comparison of international students and American students. The Journal of Psychology, 141, 263–280.
Powers, D. A., & Ellison, C. G. (1995). Interracial contact and Black racial attitudes: The contact hypothesis and selectivity bias. Social Forces, 74, 205–226.
Project Atlas. (2016). A quick look at global mobility trends. Retrieved from https://p.widencdn.net/hjyfpw/Project-Atlas-2016-Global-Mobility-Trends-Infographics
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.
Rahman, O., & Rollock, D. (2004). Acculturation, competence, and mental health among South Asian students in the United States. Journal of Multicultural Counselling and Development, 32, 130–140.
Richman, L. S., & Leary, M. R. (2009). Reactions to discrimination, stigmatization, ostracism, and other forms of interpersonal rejection: A multimotive model. Psychological Review, 116, 365–383.
Russell, D. (1996). The UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 20–40.
Sabetto, M., & Sabetto, Y. (2010). Culture shock in Japan: International student perspective. Saitama, Japan: Chigensha.
Sam, D. L. (2001). Satisfaction with life among international students: An exploratory study. Social Indicator Research, 53, 315–337.
Sandhu, D. S., & Asrabadi, B. R. (1994). Development of an acculturative stress scale for international students: Preliminary findings. Psychological Reports, 75, 435–448
Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C., & Ramia, G. (2008). Loneliness and international students: An Australian study. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12, 148–180.
Schmitt, M. T., Spears, R., & Branscombe, N. R. (2003). Constructing a minority group identity out of shared rejection: The case of international students. European Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 1–12.
Sherif, M. (1966). In common predicament: Social psychology of intergroup conflict and cooperation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Sloan, D. M., Marx, B. P., & Epstein, E. M. (2005). Further examination of the exposure model underlying the efficacy of written emotional disclosure. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 549–554.
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 699–713.
Suzuki, Y. (2011). Situations of international students and education for them in Japan. Yokohama, Japan: Shunpusha
Wei, M. F., Russell, D. W., & Zakalik, R. A. (2005). Adult attachment, social self-efficacy, self-disclosure, loneliness, and subsequent depression for freshman college students: A longitudinal study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 602–614.
Wheeless, L. R. (1976). Self-disclosure and interpersonal solidarity: Measurement, validation, and relationships. Human Communication Research, 3, 47–61.
Worthy, M., Gary, A. L., & Kahn, G. M. (1969). Self-disclosure as an exchange process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 13, 59–63.
Zhang, J., & Goodson, P. (2011). Predictors of international students’ psychosocial adjustment to life in the United States: a systematic review. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35, 139–162.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Journal of International Students
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.
