Research shows that international college students experience high levels of acculturative stress, which can adversely impact their health and college success. The levels of immersion in one’s native culture and the culture of the U.S. may impact levels of acculturative stress in international students. This cross-sectional study examined community college international students (n = 243). Immersion in a student’s native culture was positively associated with acculturative stress, while immersion in the U.S. culture was negatively associated with acculturative stress. Students who spoke English as their first language and whose families moved to the United States experienced lower levels of acculturative stress. The results of the study imply that some international students may require more support in order to succeed in their college environment.
Innovations in communication technologies have had a profound impact on health. Over the decades, new communication tools have sometimes prompted fears that they will produce sociological and psychological distress, and have a negative impact on various aspects of health. Critics claim that innovation may disrupt the social order and degrade the health of communities due to anxiety. On the other hand, advocates of new technologies have pointed out that innovation supports progress in society, saves time and money, and improves health. This paper reviews responses to new communication technologies over the centuries, and how resistance to them, or cultural lag, has sometimes delayed their impact on health. As evidence accumulates that the benefits of a new technology outweigh the harms, innovations in health communication become part of standard practice. To ensure that emerging communication technologies provide the most benefit to the most people we recommend that purveyors of health information on any channel or platform be held accountable to standards that are ethical, scientific, and evidence-based.
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