02142nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001700054653002100071653002700092653001200119653001600131653001100147100001400158700002000172700001400192700003300206245011700239300001200356490000700368520148500375022001401860020001401874       2022                            d  c03/202210aStudy abroad10aExchange student10aInternational students10aErasmus10aPersonality10aStress1 aAnna Muro1 aRamon Cladellas1 aIolao Mir1 aMontserrat Gomà-i-Freixanet00aThe role of personality and destination in the optimal adaptation of international students to host universities  a131-1370 v283 aRecent studies suggest that the optimal adaptation of exchange students to the host-university is associatedto students’ personality, and suggest that lowering anxiety, higher sociability and higher sensation seeking isobserved in students with successful adaptations. However, this pattern has only been studied in Americanor German universities. Accordingly, this study aimed to replicate previous results using a sample of European-international undergraduates of the Erasmus Exchange Programme studying in Barcelona. Analyses ofvariance showed that exchange-students scored higher than locals in Sociability, Activity and in BoredomSusceptibility, but no differences were seen in Anxiety levels. Regression analyses reported that the personalityvariable that best predicted studying abroad in Barcelona was, on a broad level, Sociability; on a narrowerlevel, Parties and Friends and Boredom Susceptibility accounted for 38% of the study abroad variance. Resultsconfirm that exchange students show a differential personality profile, but it differs in some traits when comparedto American samples. It is discussed how the destination or university allocation and cultural characteristicsmight mediate the observed differences among samples. It is also discussed the relevance of includingboth student’s personality and destination characteristics in the study-abroad assessment programmes tofacilitate students’ adaptation and avoid stress-related or adaptation problems.  a1134-7937  a2174-0437