ACCULTURATIVE STRESS AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO GENDER, AGE AND FAMILY INCOME

In recent times, India has become one of the important centers of education for international students. Many students from different parts of world are now enrolled in Indian universities and colleges. The international students' presence in our institutions helps to promote culture & international understanding among these students. As the number of international students increase, so is the number of acculturative stress cases. International students not only face with problems similar to those of all university students, but they have the added pressures associated with life in a new environment, learning the new language and culture. The combination of these stresses reduces the international student's ability to perform. The earlier researches on acculturation suggested that an individual can regain his/her ability to function better by increasing his/her understanding of the new environment's language and culture. Additionally, the research indicated that if they receive information and support, international students may adjust more quickly and easily (Chae, 2014, Khan, 2016). It, therefore, becomes need of time to find methods for helping international students to deal with stress. The present study was initiated in response to the growing concern about the acculturative stress experienced by international students. The objectives of present study were to study the level of acculturative stress among international students in relation to gender, age and family income. For this researcher developed and validated the acculturative stress scale. The acculturative stress level of international undergraduate studying in one of university of union territory Chandigarh was measured. It was found that there was significant difference in the level of acculturative stress in relation to gender and family income. There was no significant difference in the level of acculturative stress in relation to age.