Sukanya Ray of the Psychology Department collaborated with two of her students (doctoral student Michelle Jackson and graduate student Danica Bybell) and published “International Students in the U.S.: Social and Psychological Adjustment” appeared in The Journal of International Students, Spring 2013 Vol. 3 Issue 1.

The study examines the role of self-esteem, hope, optimism, coping, acculturative stress, and social support on international students’ depressive symptoms and sociocultural adjustment. Seventy international students completed a self-report online survey. The most notable finding was that the international students used adaptive and maladaptive coping techniques at similar rates.

Greater use of coping techniques, higher acculturative stress and less social support were associated with more depressive symptoms and more difficulty with sociocultural adjustment. Lower self-esteem, less hope, and less optimism were associated with more depressive symptoms, but not sociocultural difficulty. Clinical implications and future directions are also discussed.