Exploring Communication Competence and Psychological Health: A Study of Cross-cultural Adaptation among Young Japanese Immigrants in the U.S.
Erika Higashide; Yang Soo Kim, PhD., Professor

Abstract
Relocation to a new cultural environment poses a great challenge to immigrants. Immigrant children are particularly vulnerable and often experience a sense of not belonging to any culture (e.g., Fry, 2007), which leads to intercultural conflicts between their co-ethnic group and the dominant society. Particularly, studies on Asian immigrant youth have been limited because of the “model minority” stereotype, which leads to the perception that Asian immigrants have few or no emotional or adaptive problems (Chiu & Ring, 1998). Using Y. Y. Kim’s (1988, 2001) Cross-cultural Adaptation Theory, the present study examines the communication experiences of young Japanese immigrants and their psychological adjustment in the United States. Numerical data was collected by a self-reported structured survey questionnaire from 71 young Japanese immigrants. As predicted, findings show that host communication competence, host interpersonal communication, and host mass media consumption are significantly related to the psychological adjustment of young Japanese immigrants.

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