Acculturation strategies and temporal perspective among international students

International students in growing numbers are exposed to the variety of acculturation scenarios, yet the influence of time constructs in shaping their acculturative patterns has received little theoretical and empirical attention. This research addresses this gap by exploring the relationship between acculturation and future time perspective (FTP). The latter is a fundamental cognitive dimension in the construction of psychological time, which has a special importance for individuals going through transitional periods. A sample of international students enrolled in an Italian university completed a web-survey containing measures of acculturation experiences (both strategies and consequent stress), temporal items (Zimbardo & Carelli, 2011), and other socio-cultural factors affecting acculturation. A series of bivariate analysis were tested to verify the main hypothesis that FTPs affect acculturative stress. Findings revealed that negative FTP was significantly positively correlated with acculturative stress. Additionally, it was found that acculturative stress was significantly associated to high negative affects in three time domains (present, 2 weeks upon arrival, in 1 year). More generally, our findings can contribute to the development of an adequate evaluation for high-risk group of international students with considerable levels of acculturative stress. Furthermore, findings can extend understanding of the pathways linking acculturation and general psychological wellbeing in the growing population of sojourners.