Afriza Umami1,2, Edit Paulik3, Regina Molnár3. 1. Department of Public Health, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 10, H- 6720, Szeged, Hungary. umami.afriza@med.u-szeged.hu. 2. Stikes Muhammadiyah Bojonegoro, Bojonegoro, Indonesia. umami.afriza@med.u-szeged.hu. 3. Department of Public Health, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 10, H- 6720, Szeged, Hungary.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the past few decades, the number of international students has increased dramatically. These students have to adjust to unfamiliar social, cultural, and educational environments. The concept of acculturation has been applied in multiple studies on various health outcomes. This study investigated the relationship between acculturation and self-rated health (SRH) among international medical students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among international medical students at the University of Szeged, Hungary between April and October 2021. A total of 326 participants filled out questionnaires about sociodemographic characteristics, acculturation, and SRH. The modified Stephenson multigroup acculturation scale (SMAS) was used to assess the acculturation status; the scale defined acculturation as the degree of dominant society immersion (DSI, 12 items) and ethnic society immersion (ESI, 16 items). To measure SRH, participants were asked to rate their current general health and mental health. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and the multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: 32.5% of the students reported having poor general and 49.7% poor mental health. We have found that acculturation was associated with SRH in multivariable logistic regression models controlling for sociodemographic characteristic. Bidimensional acculturation, such as ESI and DSI significantly influenced SRH as the likelihood of poor general health decreased (OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.31-0.81, P = 0.005), when the ESI was higher, whereas the likelihood of poor mental health decreased (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.35-0.79, P = 0.002) if students had a greater DSI. CONCLUSION: Both types of immersion can affect the students' SRH. If the student could integrate better into their own ethnic group, their general health was better, and if they could strongly integrate into the Hungarian society, their mental health was more favorable. Acculturation measures should be promoted by academics and public health professionals in order to better understand their role in the behaviors, health outcomes, and health care use of medical international students. These findings will help professionals shape culturally sensitive prevention and counselling strategies for international student populations.
BACKGROUND: Over the past few decades, the number of international students has increased dramatically. These students have to adjust to unfamiliar social, cultural, and educational environments. The concept of acculturation has been applied in multiple studies on various health outcomes. This study investigated the relationship between acculturation and self-rated health (SRH) among international medical students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among international medical students at the University of Szeged, Hungary between April and October 2021. A total of 326 participants filled out questionnaires about sociodemographic characteristics, acculturation, and SRH. The modified Stephenson multigroup acculturation scale (SMAS) was used to assess the acculturation status; the scale defined acculturation as the degree of dominant society immersion (DSI, 12 items) and ethnic society immersion (ESI, 16 items). To measure SRH, participants were asked to rate their current general health and mental health. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and the multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: 32.5% of the students reported having poor general and 49.7% poor mental health. We have found that acculturation was associated with SRH in multivariable logistic regression models controlling for sociodemographic characteristic. Bidimensional acculturation, such as ESI and DSI significantly influenced SRH as the likelihood of poor general health decreased (OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.31-0.81, P = 0.005), when the ESI was higher, whereas the likelihood of poor mental health decreased (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.35-0.79, P = 0.002) if students had a greater DSI. CONCLUSION: Both types of immersion can affect the students' SRH. If the student could integrate better into their own ethnic group, their general health was better, and if they could strongly integrate into the Hungarian society, their mental health was more favorable. Acculturation measures should be promoted by academics and public health professionals in order to better understand their role in the behaviors, health outcomes, and health care use of medical international students. These findings will help professionals shape culturally sensitive prevention and counselling strategies for international student populations.
Authors: Katandria L Johnson; Joan F Carroll; Kimberly G Fulda; Kathryn Cardarelli; Roberto Cardarelli Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2010-02-02 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Aleksandra M Rogowska; Dominika Ochnik; Cezary Kuśnierz; Monika Jakubiak; Astrid Schütz; Marco J Held; Ana Arzenšek; Joy Benatov; Rony Berger; Elena V Korchagina; Iuliia Pavlova; Ivana Blažková; Zdeňka Konečná; Imran Aslan; Orhan Çınar; Yonni Angel Cuero-Acosta Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2021-12-11 Impact factor: 3.295