Social Support and Loneliness of Chinese International Students in Thailand
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Abstract
Using data from a recent survey on Chinese international students in Thai universities, the present study examines effects of different types of social support on alleviating international students’ loneliness. Through robust estimation of logistic models, we found that romantic relationships reduce the odds of reporting loneliness when the romantic partners are both in the host country, and that Chinese students’ co-national ties alleviate loneliness better when they perceive a strong cohesive feeling among the Chinese student body in their university. Lastly, having local Thai friends does not have a homogenous effect on all students; rather, this works to reduce the odds of reporting loneliness only for those who are interested in the host society. Our research suggests that social support and acculturating individuals’ inner needs should be considered together for better prediction of cross-cultural adaptation results.
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