Acculturation, Adult Attachment Style and Psychological Distress in Indian International Students

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between acculturation, adult attachment style and psychological distress. Acculturation refers to a process of individuals adapting to a new culture while attachment style refers to the pattern of interpersonal interactions. Psychological distress encompasses negative stress responses, when an individual is overwhelmed by various demands. 73 Indian students studying in foreign countries were participants for this study through purposive sampling. SL-ASIA, AAS-R, and K10 was used to assess acculturation, adult attachment style and psychological distress respectively through a google form. Through correlation analysis, attachment anxiety and psychological distress were found to be significantly correlated. Linear regression also found attachment anxiety to be a significant predictor of psychological distress. Acculturation and attachment avoidance were also significantly correlated with each other. Attachment avoidance also significantly predicted acculturation. Results also found out that there was no significant correlation between acculturation and psychological distress, attachment avoidance and psychological distress, acculturation and attachment anxiety.