From Barriers to Bridges: Psychological and Sociocultural Adaptation among Saudi Sojourner Students in the UK

Studying abroad is an increasingly common phenomenon. Some research into sojourners’ adjustment suggests that contact with citizens from the host country has positive implications on psychological adaptation and well-being; on the other hand, perceived threat may be detrimental for one’s adaptation in the new context. In this study, I investigated whether perceived threat and contact with citizens of the host country predict psychological and sociocultural adaptation, and whether these associations are mediated via sojourners’ orientation tendency towards home and host cultures. The sample consisted of Saudi students (N = 135) who were temporarily living in the UK for education. I carried out path analysis on the data, using Mplus as an outcome variable and the other scale scores as predictor variables. This provided information about which factors contribute to Saudi students’ adaptation when studying in the UK. I found perceived threat increased participants’ orientation towards their home country, and indirectly had a negative impact on psychological adaptation. On the other hand, contact increased one’s orientation towards the host country, and indirectly had a positive impact on sociocultural adaptation. The implications of the study are discussed.