Acculturation and psychological well-being of immigrant brides in Taiwan

Abstract

Purpose Since the 1990s, an imbalanced marriage market has ushered in a great number of female immigrants, mainly from China and certain ASEAN countries, into Taiwan. These immigrant brides lose their original social networks and face difficulties acculturating, which in the long run may take a toll on their psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to identify what the factors are and how they are associated with the symptoms of depression and anxiety among immigrant brides. Design/methodology/approach Due to the difficulty of identifying immigrant brides within the general population, the research relies on a convenience sample of 366 immigrant brides in eight cities or counties in Taiwan. The research team provided questionnaires in different languages including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian. Surveyed immigrant brides filled in questionnaires while participating in activities for Immigrant Day. Findings Hierarchical regression analyses show that perceived discrimination and sociocultural barriers are the two greatest factors causing depression and anxiety among immigrant brides. However, the effect of social support is not as clear as expected. Emotional social support from “the same ethnic group” is significant in reducing the symptoms of psychological depression of immigrant brides, but it cannot explain the variation in anxiety among immigrant brides. Originality/value Although the psychological well-being of immigrant brides in Taiwan is an important issue, little scholarly research has been published on this increasing segment of the population. The research can improve our understanding of the acculturation of immigrant brides in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the findings in the Taiwan-based research may provide further helpful knowledge for South Korea and China, both of which generally share a similar culture with Taiwan and are also facing the issues of marriage market imbalance and the increase of immigrant brides, in developing prevention and intervention strategies and/or programs to enhance the psychological well-being of immigrant brides.