Prejudice in a sample of DC-based University International Students: Examining the role of Acculturative Stress and Perceived Discrimination

Previous research has focused on studying international students as being on the receiving end of prejudice. By using a series of self-report questionnaires, this study sought to explore international students' prejudicial attitudes towards the host (U.S.) culture. Two factors were examined that could shed light on this phenomenon, first, stress that stems from trying to acculturate to the US culture and second, having lived through experiences of discrimination. In accordance with the predictions, a positive relationship was found between acculturation stress and prejudice, as well as between perceived discrimination and prejudice. This last relationship was found to be moderated by the student's motivation to respond in a non-prejudiced way; among those highly motivated to respond without prejudice, those who reported higher levels of perceived discrimination also reported the highest levels of prejudice. Neuroticism was not found to moderate the discrimination-prejudice relationship. Implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed.