Research on Expatriate Families in Switzerland – Basel University
We are a team of psychologists and researchers from the Home Abroad Program at the University of Basel and we conduct research to better understand the needs and challenges of expatriate families. As an organization who cares for the well-being of this population, we believe our research work might be of your interest.
Enclosed is a short summary of our published papers (and the papers attached). We welcome you to visit our research website regularly to find out more about our current studies and latest research findings.
Our recent research findings revealed that:
- A variety of factors such as demographics, family, environmental, psychological and socio-cultural factors influence adjustment in a foreign country.
- Higher levels of resilience, cultural intelligence (CQ) and local language proficiency predicted better sociocultural adjustment among expatriate parents living in Switzerland.
- Increased CQ leads to increased resilience, which, in turn leads to better sociocultural adjustment.
- CQ skills, such as learning culturally appropriate behavior and relating to others, is the most important aspect of CQ for increasing sociocultural adjustment.
Implications of the study:
- Expatriate relocation/support programs should include resilience training, CQ as well as local language skills.
As part of our currently ongoing research, we are looking for families who move on a regular basis (every 2 – 6 years) with their children in the age of 7-17 years due to employment. One parent can easily participate by filling out our 10-15 minute anonymous online survey. As a token of appreciation, participants can download a comprehensive guide on moving with children upon completion of the survey.
On behalf of the Homeabroad team, we thank you for your interest in this topic. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
PD Dr. Yoon Phaik Ooi | Adjunct Senior Researcher
University of Basel | Faculty of Psychology | Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Missionsstrasse 62a | 4055 Basel | Switzerland
y.ooi@unibas.ch | psycho.unibas.ch/de/kppt
Katja Herrmann Aegerter MSc | PhD Candidate
University of Basel | Faculty of Psychology | Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Missionsstrasse 62 | 4055 Basel | Switzerland
Katja.herrmannaegerter@unibas.ch | https://psychologie.unibas.ch/de/kppt/
Prof. Dr. Jens Gaab | Full Professor | Head of Division
University of Basel | Faculty of Psychology | Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Missionsstrasse 62a | 4055 Basel | Switzerland
Tel (+41) 061 20 70748
jens.gaab@unibas.ch | psychologie.unibas.ch/de/kppt