Predicting maladjustment of exchange students in different cultures: a prospective study

The aim of this study was to construct a discriminant function to predict maladjustment in foreign cultures for 123 Japanese adolescents studying abroad in home stay for 1 year. The maladjustment was defined in terms of self-reported friendship availability, friendship satisfaction and emotional distress. Among the variables assessed before departure, three factors emerged as strong predictors of maladjustment: neuroticism, maternal care before age 16, and friendship availability at home. The discriminant function obtained showed an overall predictive power of 72% and was found to be robust.