scholarly journals Exploring the challenges and opportunities for improving the health and wellbeing of international students: Perspectives of professional staff at an Australian University.

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-92
Author(s):  
Danielle C. Newton ◽  
◽  
drian J. Tomyn ◽  
Anthony D. LaMontagne ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
International Student ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

There are growing concerns about the mental health of university students, with particular concerns for international students studying in countries with different language and culture from the country of origin. We sought to explore the challenges and opportunities for supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of international students through interviews with health and other support services staff at an Australian University. Semi-structured interviews with a range of health and support services staff were conducted in person or by telephone in late 2018. Staff were asked about their perceptions of 1) health and wellbeing issues for international students, 2) barriers to international students accessing campus-based services for health and wellbeing concerns, and 3) strategies to improve international students’ health and wellbeing. Transcribed interviews were analysed thematically. Mental health/illness was identified as the most important health and wellbeing concern for international students. Barriers to help-seeking included fear of repercussions for coming forward, lack of problem and symptom recognition, poor understanding of health information, cultural stigma associated with counselling and language barriers. A tendency among international students to delay help-seeking until problems reached crisis-point was also identified as a concern. Suggested strategies to improve wellbeing included pre-departure education/orientation to life in Australia, the integration of health and wellbeing education with other university programs, education about confidentiality, better supporting students in how to access services, and skill building to promote social connection. Addressing the identified issues and opportunities would support international student health and wellbeing and may assist in attracting international students back to Australia post-COVID.

With A Little Help From My Friends: A Mixed Methods Study Of Psychological Distress And Help-Seeking Preferences Of Chinese International Students At Victoria University Of Wellington

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kelly Atherton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Free Text

<p>Chinese international students have become an increasingly significant presence on tertiary campuses worldwide, with over 928,000 enrolled globally in higher education in 2017. The mental health of tertiary students has been recognised as a significant public health concern and the unique challenges faced by Chinese international students place them at higher risk of mental distress than domestic or other international students. However, there is a scarcity of literature focussing on the mental health of Chinese international students both internationally and in a New Zealand context. This study was undertaken to gather preliminary data on the existence and prevalence of psychological distress among Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington. It also investigated the help-seeking preferences of Chinese international students, their engagement with counselling services or barriers preventing engagement with counselling support, and their knowledge and use of additional university support services. Participants’ views on managing stress and their advice for newly arrived Chinese students were also explored. A mixed methods approach was utilised to gather both quantitative and qualitative data via an online survey, utilising the Kessler-10 to measure psychological distress in conjunction with a variety of categorical and free-text response questions to gather other information. The survey was sent to all Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017. A total of 205 Chinese international students responded to the survey, from 836 enrolled students (response rate 24.5%). Results indicate that the majority of the Chinese international student population at Victoria suffer from high levels of psychological distress (K10=23.33, SD=6.97). These results are comparable with studies of Chinese students who study abroad, or in their home country. Consistent with international research, participants preferred to use informal sources of support, most notably their parents and friends when stressed. They rated academic staff and student services as the supports they would be least likely to turn to when stressed. Despite the high levels of psychological distress reported, very few participants had sought formal mental health support, with only 12.3% of the sample accessing Student Counselling while studying at Victoria. Cultural and practical barriers impacted their decision to utilise the service and they provided recommendations to make the service better known amongst the student group to improve uptake. Participants’ advice to new Chinese students included getting involved, developing friendships with fellow students, improving English proficiency, and asking for help when needed. The findings from this study support the growing body of literature that Chinese international tertiary students are in need of additional culturally appropriate interventions throughout their university journey to improve their wellbeing, their awareness and use of support services, and to aid their integration to both their host country and education environment.</p>

With A Little Help From My Friends: A Mixed Methods Study Of Psychological Distress And Help-Seeking Preferences Of Chinese International Students At Victoria University Of Wellington

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kelly Atherton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Free Text

<p>Chinese international students have become an increasingly significant presence on tertiary campuses worldwide, with over 928,000 enrolled globally in higher education in 2017. The mental health of tertiary students has been recognised as a significant public health concern and the unique challenges faced by Chinese international students place them at higher risk of mental distress than domestic or other international students. However, there is a scarcity of literature focussing on the mental health of Chinese international students both internationally and in a New Zealand context. This study was undertaken to gather preliminary data on the existence and prevalence of psychological distress among Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington. It also investigated the help-seeking preferences of Chinese international students, their engagement with counselling services or barriers preventing engagement with counselling support, and their knowledge and use of additional university support services. Participants’ views on managing stress and their advice for newly arrived Chinese students were also explored. A mixed methods approach was utilised to gather both quantitative and qualitative data via an online survey, utilising the Kessler-10 to measure psychological distress in conjunction with a variety of categorical and free-text response questions to gather other information. The survey was sent to all Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017. A total of 205 Chinese international students responded to the survey, from 836 enrolled students (response rate 24.5%). Results indicate that the majority of the Chinese international student population at Victoria suffer from high levels of psychological distress (K10=23.33, SD=6.97). These results are comparable with studies of Chinese students who study abroad, or in their home country. Consistent with international research, participants preferred to use informal sources of support, most notably their parents and friends when stressed. They rated academic staff and student services as the supports they would be least likely to turn to when stressed. Despite the high levels of psychological distress reported, very few participants had sought formal mental health support, with only 12.3% of the sample accessing Student Counselling while studying at Victoria. Cultural and practical barriers impacted their decision to utilise the service and they provided recommendations to make the service better known amongst the student group to improve uptake. Participants’ advice to new Chinese students included getting involved, developing friendships with fellow students, improving English proficiency, and asking for help when needed. The findings from this study support the growing body of literature that Chinese international tertiary students are in need of additional culturally appropriate interventions throughout their university journey to improve their wellbeing, their awareness and use of support services, and to aid their integration to both their host country and education environment.</p>

Understandings of mental health, disclosure, help-seeking and psychological adaptation among Asian international students studying in Scotland: a sequential multi-method study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Cogan ◽  
Yvonne Chin-Van Chau ◽  
Xi Liu ◽  
Steve Kelly ◽  
Tony Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Psychological Adaptation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Asian International Students ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Multi Method Approach

International students often face psychosocial, academic, financial and adaptation challenges within the Higher Education (HE) environment that may impact on their mental health. The current study explored the understandings and experiences of Asian international students (AISs) in terms of mental health, disclosure, help-seeking and adaptation specific to cultural relocation within Scotland. A sequential multi-method approach was adopted consisting of two studies: (1) a qualitative study using individual semi-structured interviews with AISs (n=10) (Study 1) and (2) a cross-section survey comparing AISs and non-AISs (n=172) in terms of mental health literacy and psychological adaptation within the Scottish context (Study 2). Qualitative data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a thematic approach. Quantitative data were analysed using regression and mediation analysis. Study 1 revealed three themes: (1) Negative beliefs, stigma and fear of judgment impacting on understandings and disclosure of mental health issues, (2) Adaptation and acculturation difficulties (lack of sense of belonging), and (3) Barriers in communication and social disconnection. Study 2 showed that AISs reported lower levels of mental health literacy, which in turn resulted in poorer psychological adaption compared to non-AISs. Supporting AISs in HE institutions involves challenging negative judgements surrounding mental health, increasing mental health literacy and addressing barriers in overcoming adaptation, acculturation and communication difficulties that may inhibit disclosure and help-seeking behaviour. The importance of mental health policies, supports and services in embracing culturally diverse understandings of mental health, challenging stigma and having culturally competent staff supporting student mental health within a multicultural learning environment is emphasised.

scholarly journals Strengthening University Student Wellbeing: Language and Perceptions of Chinese International Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 5538
Author(s):  
Lanxi Huang ◽  
Margaret L. Kern ◽  
Lindsay G. Oades
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
University Student ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Support Students

Students at the tertiary education level in Australia are at increased risk of experiencing high levels of psychological distress, with international students at particularly high risk for poor adjustment. As mental health and wellbeing strongly correlate with students’ academic performance and general overseas experience, a growing number of studies focus on what universities can do to effectively support students’ wellbeing. However, assumptions are made about what wellbeing is, strategies primarily focus on treating mental ill-health, and treatment approaches fail to account for cultural differences. This study aimed to explore how Chinese international students understand wellbeing, the language used about and for wellbeing, and activities that students believe strengthen their own and others’ wellbeing. Eighty-four Chinese international students completed the online survey, and a subset of 30 students participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic, phenomenographic, and language analyses. Physical health and mental health appeared as the key components that participants believed defined wellbeing, and intrapersonal activities were perceived as the primary approach used to strengthen wellbeing. Findings help broaden the understanding of wellbeing concept from the population of tertiary students, identify students’ perspectives of activities that strengthen their wellbeing, offer a snapshot of the language used by Chinese students around wellbeing, and provide new data of population health through a wellbeing lens.

scholarly journals PREVALENCE, ASSOCIATED FACTORS, AND HELP SEEKING BEHAVIOR RELATED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-223
Author(s):  
Aniza Ismail ◽  
Khadiga Mohsen Kahwa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with decreased role functioning, productivity, and quality of life. International students are more prone to psychological distress as they face many stressors while studying abroad. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among international students, their help-seeking behavior and their awareness of the available on-campus mental support services. A cross-sectional study with a purposive sampling method was performed on 280 international students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between the age of 18 and 35 years. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was used anonymously to assess the mental health of students. Soci-demographic, help-seeking behavior, and awareness data were obtained. Independent sample t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test, and Multiple Linear Regression were used to explore associated factors. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among international students was 58.9%, 71.8%, and 53.9% respectively. Age was significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Ethnicity showed a significant association with depression and stress. No other factors were found to be significantly associated with psychological distress. Only 9.6% of the international students had sought help from on-campus mental support services. Students who were aware of the presence of such services were only 21.4% of the participants. In conclusion, the recent study showed a high prevalence of psychological distress and low help-seeking behavior among international students in Malaysia. This provided data that could be used in intervention programs to improve the mental health of the increasing number of international students in Malaysia.

"Professional Psychological Help-Seeking Attitude of Asian International Students in Japan"

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-126
Author(s):  
Won-Tack Lim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
International Student ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Asian International Students

"As globalization advances, the world's international student population has continuously risen. Among this enlarged population, numerous students face adjustment problems after realizing unfamiliarity with the host culture at certain points in their sojourns, which often trigger severe psychological distress. Previous studies conducted in the U.S. university settings have pointed to the underutilization of mental health resources by international students as one of the primary risk factors for the betterment of psychological health. Up to the present, however, there is very limited research carried out in places other than leading countries of North America and the British Commonwealth on the topics of international students’ mental health. Different from the predominant research settings of existing research, this article attempts to clarify the distinction in professional help-seeking willingness between Japanese domestic students and international students from other Asian regions who were enrolled in a Japanese university, performing an independent Two-sample Z-test analysis. The result of the findings showed that both Japanese domestic students and Asian international students scored below average in willingness to seek professional help from mental health providers. It also demonstrated that the degrees of local students’ help-seeking willingness did not significantly differ from those of international students. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are also discussed."

scholarly journals Investigation of International Students’ Perception of ‘Community’ in a British Higher Education Institute

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrine Angela Jackson ◽  
Fay Harris ◽  
Russell Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
Global Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Research Students ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Work

This paper investigates the perceptions of members of our international student community by giving them a voice and a platform to explore their feelings as part of a Higher Education institute in the UK and whether they consider that the university is a global environment. Our data is based on a series of structured interviews with twelve students from twelve different countries, inclusive of four postgraduate research students. Our findings reveal that our international students commonly feel part of multiple smaller communities but interestingly, they were less sure of their part within an institute-wide community. The postgraduate students’ perceptions of community were quite divergent when compared to the undergraduate perceptions, which we will continue to explore in our future work. Our data supports the perception from international students that their university is a global community, but there were distinct differences in how individuals defined it and some limitations to consider. Some defined it as students and staff of different nationalities being present at a university whilst other definitions relied on cultural characteristics within the institution as a whole. We reflect upon the implications of our research as these perceptions shape international student opinion of Higher Education institutes and what is understood by the term ‘global community’.

scholarly journals Travel, Emotion and Identity: An exploration into the Experiences of Students in Post 16 education for whom Studying in English Means Working in a Foreign Language and Culture

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Underwood
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Identity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
Pastoral Support ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

This paper involves an exploration into the experiences of students in post 16 education taking traditional academic subjects, in the UK, for whom studying in English means working in a foreign language and culture. The students who formed the sample were high achieving students aged sixteen and seventeen from China, Vietnam and Thailand who had come to study in the UK in order to proceed to a British University. In the first part of this paper, the author proposes a conceptual framework suitable for this study. The second part of the paper consists of a summary of the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with the six participants. In this paper a variety of issues are explored related to the experience of living and studying in England. Although grounded in the specific context of students from three nations studying in the UK. This paper should inform our understanding of appropriate teaching strategies and pastoral and pedagogical approaches for students in a range of multi-linguistic settings.     Keywords: English as an additional language; EAL; International students; ; Pastoral support; Sixth form; Student identity 

Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid for Chinese-Speaking International Students in Melbourne

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-287
Author(s):  
Xiao Yu Zhuang ◽  
Daniel Fu Keung Wong ◽  
Ting Kin Ng ◽  
Ada Poon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Mental Health First Aid ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Mental Health Knowledge

Purpose: Chinese international students have been widely reported to lack recognition of their psychological problems and to delay treatment until their symptoms become rather disabling. The present study pioneered to evaluate the effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training in improving mental health knowledge among Chinese-speaking international tertiary students. Method: A quasi-experimental design was adopted, whereby 202 Chinese-speaking international students in Melbourne were assigned to the MHFA condition or a control condition. All participants completed a standardized questionnaire before, at the end, and 3 months after training. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results: The findings demonstrated that MHFA training might be effective in improving participants’ knowledge of mental disorders (i.e., recognition of symptoms, belief in helpful treatments, and understanding the biogenetic and psychosocial causes) and reducing stigma. Conclusions: The MHFA program has the potential to enhance mental health knowledge and promote help-seeking among Chinese-speaking international students.

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