| Abstract: | Sojourners are individuals who leave their home culture and live in another country for an extended period of time. Previous research on the sojourner acculturation process has focused on investigations of coping and adjustment to cultural stressors of various groups (e.g., business managers, exchange students, embassy staff, military personnel, etc.); however, little research has been conducted specifically on one group of sojourners—missionaries. The primary aim of the present study was to compare the levels of coping and adjustment of missionaries to those of other expatriates. To accomplish this research goal, questionnaire packages were distributed to expatriates residing in Nepal (100 missionaries, 67 other expatriates). Along with coping and adjustment measures, questionnaire packages included measures of stress, satisfaction with life and social support. It was discovered that missionaries reported less satisfaction in their foreign posting than other expatriates. This finding may be due, in part, to their increased direct contact with host nationals compared to other expatriates, as well as lower social status and feelings of not being ‘connected’ to other, culturally similar, expatriate support. |
