From arrival to adaptation: a longitudinal investigation of cultural distance, acculturative and academic stress, and social support in international students

Abstract The first year for international students is often stressful as they adjust to a new cultural and educational environment. To better understand and address these challenges, this two-wave longitudinal study investigated how cultural distance, stress during cultural adaptation (i.e., acculturative stress), and academic social support may be related to academic stress among international students in the Netherlands. The initial assessment ( N T1 = 195) revealed that students perceiving greater cultural disparities between their home and host cultures reported higher levels of acculturative stress, which was further associated with elevated academic stress. In the subsequent assessment ( N T2 = 99), we examined changes in acculturative stress over three months and its relationship to changes in academic stress. Our results revealed that a reduction in acculturative stress from T1 to T2 corresponded with a decrease in academic stress only among individuals with strong academic social support. These findings suggest that international student stress is shaped by both domain-specific demands and context-dependent resources. This highlights the need for academic institutions to establish social support systems that help students navigate academic challenges and foster educational connections.