The Social Web of Happiness: How Family and Local Support Shape Wellbeing of Chinese Students in Thailand

This study examines how family support from China and local social support in Thailand jointly influence the happiness of Chinese students in Thai universities. Adopting a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, the research integrated quantitative surveys (N = 322) from Assumption University, analyzed via multiple regression and correlation, with qualitative interviews (n = 15) subjected to thematic analysis. Quantitative results revealed that both family and local support significantly predicted happiness, with local support demonstrating more potent effects. The thematic analysis uncovered four dynamics: transnational family bonds as emotional anchors, local integration countering isolation, hybrid cultural navigation, and institutional gaps in linguistically inclusive support. Findings demonstrate that while familial ties provide psychological stability through digital communication, localized networks offer immediate assistance in addressing daily stressors through a dual scaffolding termed the "glocal" support framework. The study challenges linear acculturation models by revealing how students negotiate hybrid identities, blending cultural practices to optimize wellbeing. Implications urge universities to design mentorship programs that bridge familial and local systems, enhance multilingual counselling, and foster reciprocal cultural exchanges. Methodologically, the research advances transnational wellbeing studies by interweaving psychometric scales with lived-experience narratives, offering a holistic lens absent in prior unidimensional approaches. The novelty lies in conceptualizing “glocal resilience”, the agentic balancing of geographically dispersed support systems and exposing gendered, linguistic, and institutional barriers invisible to quantitative paradigms.