Psychological Science Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2026
Abstract
The transition to new environments often induces stress, but relatively few studies have explored the acculturative stress among college students relocating within the same country. This study adapted and validated the Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory to assess cross-regional acculturative stress (CAS) among college students in China. We first used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factor structure of the CAS scale. We then determined the reliability (internal consistency) and the validity of the CAS scale by examining CAS’s relationship with sociodemographic factors and mental well-being. Finally, we tested the moderating role of self-esteem as well as the mediation pathways through agency and emotion regulation in the association between CAS and mental well-being. A total of 304 Chinese undergraduate students (Mage = 19.33, SDage = 1.17; female 68.4%) filled out online questionnaires. Findings indicated the CAS scale is a valid scale for assessing stress stemming from cross-regional migration for college attendance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the expected structure of the CAS scale had an adequate fit. The scale also showed high internal consistency and expected associations with demographic factors and mental well-being. Specifically, students who reported lower family income experienced higher levels of CAS. CAS was negatively correlated with mental well-being. Sense of negative agency was found to partially mediate the association between CAS and mental well-being. Moreover, moderation analysis showed that, for those with high self-esteem, the strength of the association between CAS and lower mental well-being was attenuated, suggesting that high self-esteem buffered the relation between CAS and mental well-being. This study extended the theory of acculturative stress to the temporary domestic migration population and highlighted the importance of supporting undergraduate students during their adjustment.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, W., Wang, P., Chen, C., Ye, B., & Shao, J. (2026). Cross-regional acculturative stress and mental well-being among undergraduate students in China. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 113, 102413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2026.102413
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
DOI
10.1016/j.ijintrel.2026.102413
Comments
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/