A survey with 169 international students was conducted to investigate the relationship between trust in American physicians and students’ locus of control, nationality, sex, and years of being in the United States, the number of American friends, the number of international friends, and the number of doctor’s visits. Results revealed that international students with an internal locus of control had a greater degree of trust in American physicians than students with an external locus of control. Students with more American friends did not trust their physicians more than students with fewer American friends. International students who stayed in the United States for a longer period also did not trust their physicians more than students who stayed for a shorter time. No difference existed in trust between male and female and between European and non-European students. Findings are somewhat opposite of what we would expect based on other cross-cultural adjustment studies.

Keywords:

locus of control, cross-cultural adjustment, cultural differences, international students, trust in physicians