The Influence of Personal Predispositions on Bosnian Refugees’ Resettlement Process

The goal of this study was to examine the influence of personal predispositions on refugees’ resettlement process. Relationship among the participants’ motivation to learn about the U.S. culture, ethnic proximity, self-esteem, locus of control, intercultural willingness to communicate, functional fitness, psychological health, and ethnic and U.S. cultural identity salience, was examined. A cross-sectional survey design was used as the study method. Sixty-seven Bosnian refugees living in a large Midwestern U.S. city took part in the study, which was actually a pilot study of a much larger project. Analyses revealed that motivation to learn about the U.S. culture, self-esteem, locus of control, and intercultural willingness to communicate enhance intercultural transformation of refugees. Ethnic proximity, however, was found to discourage refugees’ integration into the new environment. The findings suggest that refugees need to have an active voice in decision making when it comes to their resettlement, so they can better manage culture shock and challenges that cross-cultural adaptation brings along.