Abstract
Purpose: Based on economic partnership agreements (EPA), foreign care workers have started entering the Japanese care field. Foreigners�� cross-cultural adjustment deeply affects their growth as care professionals and, as a result, the quality of care they provide. This study examines the hypothesis that the social support provided to foreign care workers influences their cross-cultural adjustment via social skills. Methods: Foreign care workers (N = 126) who came to Japan via the EPA and worked at medical or elder care facilities participated in this study. Valid samples were obtained from 106 individuals (70 Indonesians and 36 Filipinos). The subjects�� mean age was 30.6 (SD = 4.9). The questionnaire��s content included: (1) 18 items concerning social support, (2) 21 items on social skills, and (3) 50 items assessing cross-cultural adjustment. Results: The analysis of covariance indicated that social skills prompted the foreigners�� work-related psychological and sociocultural adjustment via support. Concerning self-realization adjustment, even though the support provided to the foreigners influenced their social skills, their adjustment levels directly affected the work support provided to the foreigners, while social skills did not. Discussion: When social support is obtained, social skills progress becomes a promotive factor for foreign care workers��adjustment. Skills enforcement should be used in cultivating relationships between Japanese natives and foreign care workers within the workplace. Moreover, the building of these relationships will greatly influence cross-cultural adjustment.
Author Information
Kaori Hatanaka, Okayama University, Japan
Tomoko Tanaka, Okayama University, Japan
Paper Information
Conference: ACP2015
Stream: Qualitative/Quantitative Research in any other area of Psychology
This paper is part of the ACP2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress