Outgroup social categorization by host-country nationals (HCNs) is a common challenge for expatriates and it has received inadequate scholarly attention in expatriate research. This study explores how outgroup social categorization affects expatriate intention to terminate international assignments prematurely and how this adversity can be lessened through organizational mentoring interventions. We theorize that outgroup social categorization by HCNs results in social isolation for expatriates, which triggers expatriates' early return intentions, and mentoring mitigates this indirect effect. The hypotheses were supported by the analyses of multisource data collected from expatriates and their local co-workers in multinational enterprises operating in China. Theoretical and practical implications of the research findings are discussed.

东道国国民（HCN）进行的群体外社会分类对于外籍人士是一个普遍的挑战，并且在外籍人士研究中没有得到足够的学术关注。这项研究探讨了外来社会分类如何影响外派人员过早终止国际任务的意图，以及如何通过组织指导干预措施来减少这种逆境。我们认为，由HCN进行的群体外社会分类会导致外籍人士的社会隔离，这会触发外籍人士的早期回返意图，而指导则减轻了这种间接影响。这些假设得到了在华经营的跨国企业中从外籍人士及其本地同事那里收集的多源数据分析的支持。讨论了研究结果的理论和实践意义。