EFFECTS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON ADJUSTMENT OF CHINESE STUDENTS IN JAPAN

The present study examined the effects on adjustment of three dimensions of support (needed, perceived, or actual) and the gaps between those dimensions. Ninety-two Chinese students in Japan responded to questionnaires that included a social support scale and items measuring adjustment. Correlational analysis and multiple regression analysis consistently indicated that the relation between needed support and adjustment was strongly negative and that the relation between actual support and adjustment was positive but that there was no association of perceived support and adjustment. Perceived support had a positive effect on adjustment for students who had a high need for support but not for students with a low need for support (a buffering effect), and actual support had a positive effect on adjustment for all students (a direct effect). All of the support gaps were negatively related to adjustment, indicating that insufficient support was linked to poorer adjustment.