Psychological and Sociocultural Adjustment of Filipina Domestic Workers in Singapore

The research extended the investigation of psychological (depression) and sociocultural (social difficulty) adjustment problems of sojourners to a sample of 191 Filipina domestic workers in Singapore. Work conditions (salary and schedule), locus of control (achievement and affiliation), cultural identity, co-national relations, discrepancies between life satisfaction in the Singapore and the Philippines, and sociocultural adaptation were examined as predictors of psychological adjustment. Multiple regression indicated that poor work conditions, weak identification as Filipino, small discrepancy between life satisfaction in Singapore and the Philippines, and social difficulty were significantly associated with a higher level of depression (r ² = .30). A second regression analysis examined language ability and education, length of residence in Singapore, host national relations, and psychological adjustment as predictors of sociocultural adaptation. Poor knowledge-based resources (English language ability and level of education), low satisfaction with host national contact, and depression were significant predictors of social difficulty (r =.15). The results are interpreted in terms of stress and coping and culture learning approaches to sojourner adjustment.