Coping and adjustment of spouses of international students at South Dakota State University
COPING AND ADJUSTMENT OF SPOUSES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY ELIZABETH NAYEBARE 2016 This research investigated acculturation of female spouses of international students to life in Brookings, specifically, how they cope and adjust. It was guided by the following questions: what are the socio economic and cultural attributes of female spouses, and how do they impact their ability to cope and adjust to life in Brookings; what strategies and activities do spouses of international students rely on or develop in order to adjust and cope with life in the United States (Brookings) and what are the processes and experiences of coping and adjustment among spouses of different professional and cultural backgrounds? The investigation was guided by the theory of acculturation developed by John Berry. Sixteen semi structured interviews were conducted with spouses that lived on and offcampus. Participants' age, motivation, joint decision making, and level of education were positive pre acculturation factors, while religion, expectations and work experience had a negative influence. Factors like food, living conditions, and local context/environment played a positive and negative role on coping and adjustment during acculturation, while length of stay, producing children, family size, and knowledge of Brookings had a positive role. On the other hand, isolation and loneliness, lack of interaction with host nationals, dependency on husbands and lack of confidence speaking English influenced acculturation negatively. To cope with life in Brookings, participants devised strategies like growing and caring for their families; and supporting husbands; some tried to change their visa status so as to pursue