The Role of Social Support Systems for Saudi Arabian Students in the United States

Y

12

Foreign Countries; Social Support Groups; Student Surveys; Foreign Students; Student Adjustment; Social Networks; Scores; Correlation; Identification (Psychology); Conflict; Interviews; Coping; Acculturation; Semi Structured Interviews; Stress Variables; Mixed Methods Research; Likert Scales

Saudi Arabia; United States

0146-3934

The aim of this study was to assess the role of social support systems for Saudi Arabian students in the United States. A survey was conducted with Saudi sojourners using the Index of Sojourner Social Support (ISSS) instrument and the Ethno-Cultural Identity Conflict Scale (ECIS) (N = 210) and semi-structured interviews (N = 15). Saudi students reported that when it comes to adapting to their lives in the United States, they rely on few people (M = 3.07) to support them during their stays, thus indicating that they rely on minimal social support networks. This was confirmed by the ISSS data, which provides that students overwhelmingly have limited social support networks. When the ISSS scores were compared to the ECIS scores, the data show that there is a weak negative statistically significant correlation between identity conflict and social support rs(125) = -0.200, p < 0.05. As social support for the Saudi sojourners increased, their intrapersonal identity conflict decreased. Interview data adds that although the majority of sojourners had small (limited) support systems, those support systems were nevertheless robust and able to assist the students with overcoming obstacles with their academics as well as assimilating, if only temporarily, into American society

As Provided

2018

EJ1180267