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Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran,Tehran, Iran. , alireza.zare@ut.ac.ir
Abstract: (15 Views)
Background: Migration challenges the mental health of millions of Iranian immigrants. Although acculturation is considered a key pathway linking individual differences to immigrant well-being, the simultaneous contribution of personality traits, self-regulatory capacities, and acculturation orientations to psychological distress remains underexplored.
Aims: This study examined (1) the direct effects of the Big Five traits, integrative self-knowledge, mindfulness, and self-control on distress, and (2) whether heritage and mainstream acculturation orientations mediate these relationships.
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 356 Iranian immigrants (252 women; mean age = 37.37 years) in 30 countries completed validated Persian measures, including the Goldberg Big Five Inventory, Integrative Self-Knowledge Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Brief Self-Control Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA). The VIA was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in a refined 16-item version. Structural equation modeling tested the proposed conceptual model.
Results: he final model demonstrated satisfactory fit (RMSEA = .053, CFI = .894). For direct effects, neuroticism was the strongest positive predictor of psychological distress (β = .54), while integrative self-knowledge (β = –.31), extraversion (β = –.16), and self-control (β = –.13) were significant negative predictors. Openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and mindfulness showed no significant direct effects. For mediation, all sixteen hypothesized indirect paths through heritage and mainstream acculturation were non-significant after controlling for personality variables; neither acculturation dimension significantly predicted distress.
Conclusion: In the complex context of migration, deep-seated inner resources such as emotional stability and integrative self-knowledge are far stronger determinants of mental health than the cultural strategies immigrants adopt. The findings challenge simplistic models that attribute immigrant well-being primarily to acculturation, and underscore that who the immigrant is matters more than which culture they embrace. Interventions aimed at fostering integrative self-knowledge may be particularly effective in promoting mental health among Iranian immigrants.
Aims: This study examined (1) the direct effects of the Big Five traits, integrative self-knowledge, mindfulness, and self-control on distress, and (2) whether heritage and mainstream acculturation orientations mediate these relationships.
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 356 Iranian immigrants (252 women; mean age = 37.37 years) in 30 countries completed validated Persian measures, including the Goldberg Big Five Inventory, Integrative Self-Knowledge Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Brief Self-Control Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA). The VIA was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in a refined 16-item version. Structural equation modeling tested the proposed conceptual model.
Results: he final model demonstrated satisfactory fit (RMSEA = .053, CFI = .894). For direct effects, neuroticism was the strongest positive predictor of psychological distress (β = .54), while integrative self-knowledge (β = –.31), extraversion (β = –.16), and self-control (β = –.13) were significant negative predictors. Openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and mindfulness showed no significant direct effects. For mediation, all sixteen hypothesized indirect paths through heritage and mainstream acculturation were non-significant after controlling for personality variables; neither acculturation dimension significantly predicted distress.
Conclusion: In the complex context of migration, deep-seated inner resources such as emotional stability and integrative self-knowledge are far stronger determinants of mental health than the cultural strategies immigrants adopt. The findings challenge simplistic models that attribute immigrant well-being primarily to acculturation, and underscore that who the immigrant is matters more than which culture they embrace. Interventions aimed at fostering integrative self-knowledge may be particularly effective in promoting mental health among Iranian immigrants.
Article number: 1
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/05/18 | Accepted: 2026/07/16 | Published: 2026/07/23
Received: 2026/05/18 | Accepted: 2026/07/16 | Published: 2026/07/23
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)