Dataset Information

The impact of social media use on student engagement and acculturative stress among international students in China.

ABSTRACT: Despite the widespread use of modern social media, relatively less is known about the impact of social media on the acculturation processes of international students in China and their engagement in school activities. Accordingly, this research intends to assess the influence of social media usage while answering questions such as how using social media can improve international students' acculturation process from both psychological/mental and behavioural standpoints, as well as whether international students' acculturation promotes students' engagement in school activities, among other questions. The role of self-identification in mediating the connection between social media usage and international students' acculturation is also investigated. Primary data were gathered from 354 international students studying at various universities around China. The results show that international students use of social media improves their acculturation process and engagement in school activities through information sharing, establishing contacts, and entertainment. The study's limitations and future directions are also highlighted.

SUBMITTER: Dwumah Manu B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10104301 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The impact of social media use on student engagement and acculturative stress among international students in China.

Dwumah Manu Blessing B Ying Feng F Oduro Daniel D Antwi John J Yakubu Adjuik Robert R

PloS one 20230414 4

Despite the widespread use of modern social media, relatively less is known about the impact of social media on the acculturation processes of international students in China and their engagement in school activities. Accordingly, this research intends to assess the influence of social media usage while answering questions such as how using social media can improve international students' acculturation process from both psychological/mental and behavioural standpoints, as well as whether interna ...[more]

PMID: 37058453

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Project description:BackgroundInternational students frequently face difficulties that are specific to the typical college experience, in addition to facing other factors of acculturative stress, including cultural differences, language barriers, and comfortability in accommodation.AimThe study aims to measure the prevalence of acculturative stress among first-year international students enrolled at Faculty of Medicine in an Egyptian University and aims to reveal the factors that are associated with acculturative stress in these students.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted on 422 international students in the academic year 2021-2022, using the Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS). The factors associated with acculturative stress were examined using the following criteria: comfort in accommodation, student adjustment to college, language proficiency, and academic pressure.ResultsThis study showed that 28.7% of the international students were "above the warning sign" of acculturative stress (above 109). The major stressors of acculturative stress among international students were the non-specific concerns, homesickness, and perceived discrimination, while the least reported stressors were fear and guilt. International students who scored in the "above the warning sign" in the (ASSIS) were mostly females (35.3%) and non-Arab students (37.8%). Having a friend or a family member living in Egypt significantly reduced the level of acculturative stress. Moreover, the ASSIS total score showed a negative correlation with the scores for overall language proficiency, comfort in accommodation, academic adjustment, and student adjustment to college.ConclusionAcculturative stress among the studied groups is influenced by several factors, including nationality, English and Arabic language proficiency, academic adjustment, and comfort of living. That being said, the most significant stressor is the country of origin, which is defined in terms of nationality or language proficiency. Consequently, resources that ensure the sustainability and growth of international students throughout their educational process must be made available to a multicultural environment in order to support and retain those students.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.

Project description:AimsProblematic social media use is increasing in China and could be a risk factor for depression. We investigated cross-sectional associations between problematic social media use and depressive outcomes among Chinese college students with potential mediation by perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness. Thereafter, we evaluated the effectiveness of a one-month group counseling intervention in reducing depressive symptoms related to social media addiction.MethodsDepressive symptoms, social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness were self-reported among 21,000 college students in Shaanxi province, China. A randomized controlled trial was designed based on the results of the observational study and Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy (STST) among 60 college students assigned to intervention (N = 30) or control/no treatment (N = 30). Self-administered surveys were completed at baseline (T1), at the end of the 1-month intervention (T2), and at 2-month follow-up post-intervention (T3).ResultsAfter controlling for relevant covariates, more problematic social media use was associated with more depressive symptoms (β = 0.18, p < 0.001) and depression (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.075, 1.092). Multiple mediation analyses found that perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness significantly mediated associations between problematic social media use and depressive symptoms (model fit: RMSEA = 0.065, GFI = 0.984, CFI = 0.982). Bootstrapping revealed significant indirect effects of problematic social media use on depressive symptoms through the mediators named above (0.143, 95% CI: 0.133, 0.156). The subsequently informed intervention significantly reduced depressive symptoms at T2 (mean difference: -12.70, 95% CI: -16.64, -8.76, p < 0.001) and at T3 (mean difference: -8.70, 95% CI: -12.60, -4.80, p < 0.001), as well as levels of social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness.ConclusionsProblematic social media use is a risk factor for depressive outcomes among Chinese college students, and perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness mediate this association. STST-based group counseling may reduce depressive symptoms related to high social media usage in this population.

Project description:BackgroundSocial media is widely used as a source of news and information regarding COVID-19. However, the abundance of misinformation on social media platforms has raised concerns regarding the spreading infodemic. Accordingly, many have questioned the utility and impact of social media news use on users' engagement with (mis)information.ObjectiveThis study offers a conceptual framework for how social media news use influences COVID-19 misinformation engagement. More specifically, we examined how news consumption on social media leads to COVID-19 misinformation sharing by inducing belief in such misinformation. We further explored if the effects of social media news use on COVID-19 misinformation engagement depend on individual differences in cognition and personality traits.MethodsWe used data from an online survey panel administered by a survey agency (Qualtrics) in Singapore. The survey was conducted in March 2022, and 500 respondents answered the survey. All participants were older than 21 years and provided consent before taking part in the study. We used linear regression, mediation, and moderated mediation analyses to explore the proposed relationships between social media news use, cognitive ability, personality traits, and COVID-19 misinformation belief and sharing intentions.ResultsThe results suggested that those who frequently used social media for news consumption were more likely to believe COVID-19 misinformation and share it on social media. Further probing the mechanism suggested that social media news use translated into sharing intent via the perceived accuracy of misinformation. Simply put, social media news users shared COVID-19 misinformation because they believed it to be accurate. We also found that those with high levels of extraversion than those with low levels were more likely to perceive the misinformation to be accurate and share it. Those with high levels of neuroticism and openness than those with low levels were also likely to perceive the misinformation to be accurate. Finally, it was observed that personality traits did not significantly influence misinformation sharing at higher levels of cognitive ability, but low cognitive users largely drove misinformation sharing across personality traits.ConclusionsThe reliance on social media platforms for news consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified, with dire consequences for misinformation sharing. This study shows that increased social media news consumption is associated with believing and sharing COVID-19 misinformation, with low cognitive users being the most vulnerable. We offer recommendations to newsmakers, social media moderators, and policymakers toward efforts in limiting COVID-19 misinformation propagation and safeguarding citizens.

Dataset Information

The impact of social media use on student engagement and acculturative stress among international students in China.

Publications

The impact of social media use on student engagement and acculturative stress among international students in China.

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