Emotional well-being of student youth in Kazakhstan: socio-psychological verification in a cross-cultural context

In the conditions of globalization and intensification of academic mobility, the problem of students’emotional well-being acquires special significance and relevance, especially in the multicultural educationalenvironment of Kazakhstan. Emotional well-being, as an integral indicator of the psychologicalstate of personality, is closely related to the quality of adaptation, the level of social support, culturalattitudes and interpersonal communications. The purpose of the present study is socio-psychologicalverification of the construct of emotional well-being taking into account the cross-cultural aspect on asample of Kazakhstani and foreign students. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the identification ofsocio-cultural factors determining the level of emotional well-being, as well as in the empirical comparisonof indicators between different ethnic groups. The study involved 227 respondents – Kazakhstaniand foreign students. A comprehensive empirical diagnosis was implemented using six valid methodsaimed at assessing affective states, strategies of emotional regulation, self-efficacy in the sphere of emotions,level of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as perception of social support and cultural orientations.Methodology included the use of standardized scales as well as statistical methods of analysis. Theresults showed that the emotional well-being of international students depends to a greater extent on thelevel of cultural adaptation and the quality of social support. The obtained data have high theoretical andpractical significance: they can be applied in the development of psychological assistance programs andadaptation trainings for students. The work contributes to the development of cross-cultural and educationalpsychology, actualizing the problem of stability of emotional state in a multicultural environment.Keywords: emotional well-being, cross-cultural study, students, social-psychological verification,predictors.