Exploring the effect of WeChat on adjustment of international students in China

Abstract

WeChat is a popular social network application in China, which has fundamentally impacted users social interaction, communication, and personal relationships. In this study, we propose a conceptual model to measure how WeChat use intensity is associated with sojourners’ social and psychological adjustment in China. An online survey was conducted among 327 international students in Hefei City. The data were analysed through the statistical tools of IBM-SPSS & AMOS (22) by implementing correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The finding indicated that social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and social support have a significant association with WeChat usage intensity. Moreover, acquired social adjustment and social support have a significant positive association with sojourners’ psychological adjustment. The study highlights the importance of WeChat use in the social and psychological adjustment of sojourners in China.

Keywords

• wechat use intensity
• adjustment
• social adjustment
• emotional adjustment
• psychological adjustment
• sojourners
• china