The benefits of career adaptability on African international students’ perception of social support and quality of life in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

With economic globalization, there has been a rapid increase in the number of sojourners in the workforce and in international education. However, little is known about the impact of career adaptability (a key psychosocial resource for managing career transitions) on international students’ adaptation in cross-cultural contexts, particularly their quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on career construct theory, this study examined how career adaptability directly and indirectly enhances international students’ quality of life through perceived online and offline social support, and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their adaptation in cross-cultural context. With a sample of 328 African international students in China, we found that career adaptability and perceived online/ offline social support were positively related to the quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, perceived offline social support, but not perceived online social support, was an adapting response through which career adaptability enhances international students’ quality of life in cross-cultural context. The mediating effect of perceived offline social support diminished when the self-rated COVID-19 impact on international students was severe. These findings provide a basis for future psychosocial interventions to enhance international students’ adaptation to cross-cultural contexts during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.