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<p>Mitigating the challenges associated with perceived cultural distance and fostering respect for cultural differences are crucial for maintaining mental health and fostering positive interethnic relations. This is particularly important for ethnic minority college students transitioning from tight-knit hometown communities to new living and learning environments. Intercultural sensitivity, reflecting the ability to understand and appreciate cultural differences, may help students navigate cultural shock and respond more adaptively to stress, supporting better adaptation outcomes. Guided by the stress-buffering hypothesis, this study examined the relationship between perceived cultural distance and subjective wellbeing, investigating sociocultural adaptation and intercultural sensitivity as potential mediators and moderators. Data were collected from 702 Xinjiang-origin ethnic minority college students using snowball sampling; while effective for reaching this geographically dispersed and hard-to-reach population, this non-probability sampling approach may limit the generalizability of the findings. The results showed that perceived cultural distance was negatively associated with sociocultural adaptation, which in turn was positively related to subjective wellbeing, consistent with an indirect association between perceived cultural distance and subjective wellbeing through sociocultural adaptation. Furthermore, intercultural sensitivity moderated this indirect association, such that the negative association between perceived cultural distance and sociocultural adaptation was weaker for students with higher levels of intercultural sensitivity. These findings provide empirical evidence for promoting sociocultural adaptation and enhancing subjective wellbeing among ethnic minority college students. Meanwhile, the study underscores intercultural sensitivity as an essential characteristic of universal competence in modern society, resonating with the practical demands of a pluralistic society for cultural inclusivity, ethnic solidarity, and intergroup cohesion.</p>

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Intercultural sensitivity as a buffer in cultural adaptation: a cross-sectional moderated mediation study with ethnic minority college students

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月23日

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  • Alehesi Muhemaiti,
  • Fenglan Li,
  • Keqiang Meng,
  • Li Wang

摘要

Mitigating the challenges associated with perceived cultural distance and fostering respect for cultural differences are crucial for maintaining mental health and fostering positive interethnic relations. This is particularly important for ethnic minority college students transitioning from tight-knit hometown communities to new living and learning environments. Intercultural sensitivity, reflecting the ability to understand and appreciate cultural differences, may help students navigate cultural shock and respond more adaptively to stress, supporting better adaptation outcomes. Guided by the stress-buffering hypothesis, this study examined the relationship between perceived cultural distance and subjective wellbeing, investigating sociocultural adaptation and intercultural sensitivity as potential mediators and moderators. Data were collected from 702 Xinjiang-origin ethnic minority college students using snowball sampling; while effective for reaching this geographically dispersed and hard-to-reach population, this non-probability sampling approach may limit the generalizability of the findings. The results showed that perceived cultural distance was negatively associated with sociocultural adaptation, which in turn was positively related to subjective wellbeing, consistent with an indirect association between perceived cultural distance and subjective wellbeing through sociocultural adaptation. Furthermore, intercultural sensitivity moderated this indirect association, such that the negative association between perceived cultural distance and sociocultural adaptation was weaker for students with higher levels of intercultural sensitivity. These findings provide empirical evidence for promoting sociocultural adaptation and enhancing subjective wellbeing among ethnic minority college students. Meanwhile, the study underscores intercultural sensitivity as an essential characteristic of universal competence in modern society, resonating with the practical demands of a pluralistic society for cultural inclusivity, ethnic solidarity, and intergroup cohesion.