Acculturation experiences of foreign students in Italy in the context of time perspective

While the number of foreign students residing in Italy increases steadily, surprisingly their acculturation experiences have not yet been studied accordingly. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring the potential role of temporal items in the general acculturation process. Specifically, the research hypotheses emerge from a temporal perspective concerning (1) strategies of acculturation, (2) ethnic identification and its effect on acculturative outcomes, and (3) extensive acculturation variables and their impact on acculturative stress. Further, the study applies a large-scale view on acculturation outcomes by assessing acculturative stress throughout multicultural sample. Data were obtained through web-survey from international students enrolled in Italian universities. Path analyses with LISREL were employed to test main research hypothesis. Findings support the general time perspective, suggesting that perception of time affects acculturation strategy within the multicultural context. The study also demonstrates that both extensive acculturation variables (e.g., Italian language proficiency, previous cross-cultural experiences and perceived social support) and ethnic identification were found to be associated with acculturative stress outcomes. More generally, our findings illustrate the prospects that TP add to the acculturation literature; likewise they highlight the need for cross-cultural research within sample to adopt a more complex approach in studying acculturative stress outcomes.