Acculturation Strategies on Sociocultural Adaptation and Psychological Well-Being: First-Generation South Korean Immigrants in Australia

Abstract Understanding minority groups' acculturation attitudes and their impact on sociocultural and psychological adaptation is crucial for host countries to create environments conducive to the successful settlement of these groups. To that end, this study seeks to determine the potential influence of diverse acculturation strategies on the adaptation of first-generation South Korean immigrants across sociocultural and psychological domains. To do this, a comprehensive online survey was completed by 149 first-generation South Korean immigrants. The findings revealed a moderate level of sociocultural adaptation and psychological well-being among participants. The most preferred acculturation strategy was integration, followed by separation, assimilation, and marginalization. The predictors of sociocultural adjustment involved proficiency in the host country's language or English, gender, and integration. At the same time, marginalization, assimilation, host country language proficiency, and integration emerged as influential factors in determining psychological well-being. Together, these finding indicate that individual variables exerted a more pronounced influence on sociocultural adjustment, whereas acculturation attitudes exhibited a greater impact on mental health. Moreover, proficiency in the host country's language was found to significantly impact both the sociocultural adjustment and psychological well-being of first generation South Korean immigrants in Australia.