DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE ACCULTURATIVE HASSLES SCALE FOR CHINESE STUDENTS (AHSCS): AN EXAMPLE OF MAINLAND CHINESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN HONG KONG

The development and initial validation of a 17-item Acculturative Hassles Scale for Chinese Students (AHSCS) is described. Items were generated by in-depth interview, selected by item analysis, and validated in a sample of 400 Chinese mainland students in Hong Kong. Factor analysis suggested four factors with 17 items: Language Deficiency, Academic Work, Cultural Difference, and Social Interaction. Scores in this study showed satisfactory internal consistency reliability for the AHSCS and its four subscales. The AHSCS score shows a statistically significant positive correlation with negative affect and significant negative correlations with positive affect and life satisfaction. These results suggest that the AHSCS appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure acculturative stressors within a Chinese student population. However, further validation of the scale is still needed.