Social Support as a Moderator Between Acculturative Stress and College Adjustment Among International Students in Korea

The present study investigated the moderating role of social support in the relationship between acculturative stress and college adjustment among international students in South Korea. Data were collected through an offline survey from 564 international students enrolled at universities across the country. The data were analyzed using SPSS and the PROCESS Macro (Model 1). The findings revealed that social support significantly moderated the negative impact of acculturative stress on college adjustment. Notably, social support from Korean friends exhibited the highest explanatory power among the different sources of support. A sub-factor analysis further showed that instrumental support for problem-related issues from co-national friends and emotional support for daily life from professors did not yield statistically significant moderating effects. These findings highlight the differentiated impact of social support depending on its source and specific sub-dimensions, offering empirical insights into the role of social networks in facilitating international students’ adaptation to college life in a host culture.