Rising Enrolment of International Students
In present environment, mobility of International student is unequivocal which is changing the social, academic and the political landscape in higher education. The best students are attracted by the university who are working at the global level. Most of the international students are dealing with mental health issues. Mental health refers to as person cognitive, behaviour and emotional wellbeing as it is all about how people think, feel and behave. In simple words, it shows how a person can handle the stress that is related to others and make choices according to that. The paper aims to research mental health issue among the international student. The elements, which are covered under the research, include the responsible person behind the mental issue. Further research shows the reasons due to which the issue of mental health among international student is burning. Mental health disorders are an issue of concern that is getting the attention in most of the host countries where international students generally relocate to undertake their studies towards their better future. In the research, this has been found that mental health issues are increasing in occurrence and severity.
In present environment, every student wants better and quality education service within the registered university. The enrolment of the international students has developed exponentially since turn of century, multiplying to grasp five million among 1990 and 2014. By the end of the year 2025, the number is predicted to hit approx. 8 million. Further, it is expected that the international student in the market of UK, US and Australia is expected to grow in the coming 10-20 years but it looks different in terms of the offering as well as the students (Mesidor & Sly, 2016).
According to the Australian Government statistics in year, 2018 there were approx. 900,000 international students who registered in Australia (Lam, 2019). Along with this, the number of international students has been increasing every year. This has exposed need for education sectors in the direction of export industry of Australia.
The graph shows an important improvement in number of international students registered in scholastic institutions in Australia. There is continuous improvement in the enrolment of the people in 2018. The rise in the enrolment of the students in the international market leads to a rise in the possibility of the mental health issue among international students. There is a high possibility that with rise in number of international students there is no impact on the needs of students (Sullivan & Kashubeck-West, 2015). The mental health issue is witnessed among the international students due to different issues that are essential to determine with the motive to stop the rise in actions taken by the students that include suicide attempts, getting depressed and many others.
Mental Health Issues among International Students
In the international higher education institutions, academics, tutors, as well as front-line staff know about the increasing need for understanding as well as discussing the issues that are faced by international students. According to Forbes-Mewett, (2019), the focus of the people has been shifted from the general health concerns to the issues that are related to mental health. In the view of literature related to an international student, it is found that mental health is linked with the diverse aspects of the student lives, not only because they are at the age when they generally get affected with the mental issue but also because they need to adjust in totally new environment. Agreeing with this, Weale (2019) says that mental issues might arise due to the availability of the wide range of the issues, which are faced by the international students due to which they face high mental health issues. The mobility to environment in which they are not familiar can lead to the different mental issues related to psychological stress. In the western context, mental health has shown the association with the different elements that include safety and security, educational success and failure and many others. These are the factors due to which international student start feeling the issue of mental stress.
In the research, Forbes-Mewett, (2019) presented that there are majorly three sets of factors that lead to the mental health issues among the international student. These issues are: –
- New social environment, unfamiliar environment, issue with the English language and interaction with the teacher or tutors.
- Living-off campus, most of the student come from the restrictive background and unaccustomed to independency. They have to involve in the different daily practices which include cooking, managing house, budgeting, house cleaning, maintaining the relationship and undertake the employment (Wu, Garza & Guzman, 2015).
- Another reason includes the reluctance to seek for assistance due to the cultural perception, seeking for help due to delay associated with reputation, losing face or disclosing personal information. This made the student avoid the use of the counselling services for any sort of issue.
The day-to-day lives of the international students have affected because of the absences of such comforts which include the home-cooked family meal and the associated social and capital culture. Some people believe that these elements are considered as the basic one but crucial elements need high attention during the sojourn of the international student. The culturally appropriate food offer maximum comfort when they live away from their home. This is to notify that the choice of accommodation contributes to the outcomes of mental health (Forbes-Mewett & Sawyer, 2016). This shows the change in the new environment and changes in their life lead to the condition of the high stress that is one of leading mental health issues.
Along with this, research shows difference in the living on campus (in college) versus living off the campus as possible mediators to outcomes of the mental health. The recent report from Orygen says that National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health (2017), there are many countries in which living off-campus is considered as the more prevalent model of accommodation for the students in the international market than the US. In the large-scale study has been conducted across the US, UK and Australia. In the research, this has been witnessed that the international students who are living on the campus comparatively enjoy better mental health. However, they have always avoided the use of counselling services for mental health.
Factors Contributing to Mental Health Issues Among International Students
As per the views of the Xiong, (2018), language barriers are considered as one of the major factors due to which international students feel stressed and anxious. It has been found that most of international students are from Asian countries. Asian students face problems in language than European international students. In the studies, this has been found that verbal ability was definitely linked with the Asian International student’s psychological health as well as the sociocultural adjustment. Along with this, it was negatively linked with acculturative stress. It has been observed that international student psychological get affected, as they get depressed due to language. The language issue decreases the confidence level and experience of Asian international students.
Contradicting this, Forbes-Mewett, & Sawyer, (2016) says that academic, working, and financial stresses among the international student that negatively affect mental health. The international students who deal with the language barrier and have the inadequate skills of English might not be to understand lecture, articles, as well as the academic papers. In the university student might receive the complaints about their problems related to the language while performing their graduate work responsibility. Along with this, American education systems remain stressful for international students. In America, the students face high academic as well as work stress that they are not aware of and that has remained very different from the countries which original exist. On the academic level, when the international students do not achieve the high grades then they find themselves in the situation where they get depressed. This depression leads to a high level of mental stress, which makes them conduct the suicidal attempt.
As per the views of Redden (2019), financial stress is majorly witnessed among the international student that is one of the negative elements. It is determined that worldwide scholars feels more stress when it comes to their financial condition and also when they don’t find the campus or restrictions on visa. However, it has been found international students who want to help themselves monetarily need to perform the job on the campus. The international students were essential to work for approx. 20 hours that was more than the perfect amount of the working hours that would not obstruct the academic performance of college students.
In the literature, different researchers have a different option about the reason for the rising in mental-health issues. As per the views of MSH Americas 2019, the mental issue among the international student has appeared due to culture shock. Culture shock is one of the major reason for depression as well as anxiety for international students. The differences in the culture, social norms and food or general attitudes make the student unsettle with the new culture (Thurber & Walton, 2012). This change in the culture makes them feel alone and their mental-health gets affected. In addition to this, it is stated that homesickness also makes international student mentally sick. Most of the students miss their friends and family members from their native place. Until and unless these students speak to them, they feel low and keep thinking about the same things repeatedly.
Impact of Mental Health Issues
Contradicting this, West, (2019) said that a demographic characteristic that includes age, gender, ethnic groups, and length of the residence in US and age that has affected the international student mental health. It has been determined that female international students said that they are dealing with the high acculturative stress with a higher level of depression as well as high physical symptoms. The undergraduate and graduate students face a high level of depression, anxiety and other concerns that have tended more issues related to time management, depression, and many others.
Another Sirin, Sin, Clingain, & Rogers-Sirin (2019) said that students who stay in abroad become the less help-seeking person that affects their mental health to the most. This behaviour among the international student is majorly found due to which at most of the cases they deal with the mental-health disease. It is observed that international students mental health get so much affected due to which most of the times college/university professionals and family members are called. This helps the student in getting help from different institutes. It is essential that countries like the US, UK, Australia and others to form the support agencies who can work effectively in developing the social networks among the international students.
Considering situation and factor that affects mental-health among student says that there is need of proper prevention as well as intervention. Further, to the extent of the literature, it has been found that there are the resources that are showing the ideas for the prevention as well as the intervention that is related to the mental health issues. It has been found that the current responses to the mental health issues have appeared from the western as well as the other contexts. This has been found that the leading Australian work shows the different ways of preventing the health issues that are majorly witnessed among international students (Forbes-Mewett & Sawyer, 2011). It has been found that there is a need for tone at the top of universities so that they can commit to enhance the mental health of students. Along with this, there is a need for student contribution to the development of the institutions that contribute to improve the mental health strategies as well as policies (Zheng & West-Olatunji, 2019). The strong research capability shows that there is a need for a sectoral leader who can guide the students for the right direction and this will contribute in improving their future. Besides, the availability of the supplementation of the on-campus treatment services with the availability of the preventative strategies that remain in the partnership with the local government as well as the private health services.
Possible Solutions to Mental Health Issues Among International Students
In the research, this has been witnessed that number of first-year scholars that generally arrive at the university who report for the mental health disorder which is now five times more than 10 years early (Pedrelli, Nyer, Yeung, Zulauf & Wilens, 2015). It has been observed that increasing in number of students who are reducing out of college with different health difficulties. Along with this, it is witnessed that half of the UK school leaves their nation to go and study. Most of the people leave their higher education because they deal with the mental issue in terms of their health. However, on the other hand, universities are putting efforts to increase the support services for the students who are facing mental health issues (Bewick, B. & Stallman, 2018). The major difficulties that make the issue on fire are the reasons due to which the mental health issue is occurring. The life at university remains demanding as well as stressful. In their academic studies also, the international students are witnessing the high changes. For instance; for many first-year international students, the enrolment in the university means that they need to move away from their loved ones and from their home that affects the most to students. Secondly, the students need to be independent enough while studying in abroad as they to manage their activities that include clothing, eating, and many others (Prince, 2015). Besides, they are the one who needs to manage their finances, as the student does not ask any amount from their parents for their expenses. The management is generally done by international students by having a part-time job. The combination of the studies and life changes can make the students develop the feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed. It has been found that most of the student report shows the high levels of distress as well as anxiety, which affects their mental health (Khoshlessan & Das, 2017). The high level of stress among international students made them reduce their sleep time, stop exercising, skipping their meal and many other activities. Besides, they can learn the new skills that can assist them in recovering the informal community-based setting that makes it easy for the people to attend (Fazel, Hoagwood, Stephan & Ford, 2014). However, these things are essential as it can help to manage the emotions as well as stress among the normal students.
Along with this, international students can adopt other unhealthy coping plans that comprise negative self-talk, procrastination, drinking alcohol, emotional eating, and withdrawing themselves from the social environment. During the time, the students might get the thoughts of suicide and some commit suicide (Lau, Garza & Garcia, 2019). In the entire issue, the university-wide priority is towards improving health as well as well-bring on the campus that ensures the fact that students support services. Some of the students report for the high level of satisfaction and many accepted the facts that are critical to them as they stay within the university. However, some sort of practical things can be performed by the university to assist the students. The promotion of health includes telling the students what they should be doing and how they should assist. The university should reinforce healthy behaviour in practice and words that might make the students better (Bewick, & Stallman, 2018). They should also provide advice on nutrition, sleep, stress management, physical activities, and coping strategies. It has been found that the government is offering rewards to institutions that demonstrate such good practice by offering a healthy guide to the students. Along with this, the initiative is proposed by them with the name of student minds.
In the mental health issue, it is essential to apply community-based service-learning. The learning and teaching offer the context for building academic and work readiness talent which is called the community-based learning. The role of the school is major in offering the community-based assist for mental health of children as well as for well-being widely encourages and accepts. The illusion of the community learning-based approach leads to the influence on the working and forms the community. The working of the community learning-based approach includes attentive listening about mental health issues. There are a series of a community-based adult program that offers the learning courses for the people who deals with mild depression and anxiety (Fazel, Hoagwood, Stephan & Ford, 2014). These programs are majorly for the international students and include three major themes like wellbeing, creative expression as well as the healthy living.
Community-based mental health treatment as they are joined with school mental health facilities which are offered by the staff employed in the agencies; often enlarge present behaviour health assistance for undergraduates. Discussion in the mainstream university of international by mental health consultants can support with the case conceptualisation with the diverse analysis or the consideration for the community care (Patalay, Gondek, Moltrecht, Giese, Curtin, Stankovi? & Savka, 2017). It has been found that there are some of the school who employ or form the alliance with the community-based partners to offer the onsite family, individual and behaviour disorder along with the traumatic stress which is one of major mental issues among international student.
In the research, this has been witnessed that the mental health issues among international learners are increasing across international market. Along with this, this issue of mental health among international student is burning across the world because the consequences of mental health issue are increasing. Besides, research shows that suicide rates are increasing due to which the mental-issue among international students is considered as one of the major and burning issues (Macaskill, 2013).
According to the reports, suicide as a mental health issue is considered as one of the burning issues. The university student faces depression and anxiety that is most common health disease reported by college students. According to the report of Reuters, mental health diagnoses are increasing among US students. The proportion of the students from the year 2009 to 2015 who report for the diagnosis or being preserved has gone up for the worry as well as for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), insomnia, depression and panic attacks (Study International Staff, 2019). On the other side, the student has added that there was more than 37% of the higher likelihood of the students who say that they would seek for assistance shortly when it was required. In the recent survey of NUS, it is found that 80% of the students in UK institutions have experienced a major mental health issue (Horrocks, 2019). Moreover, 30% of those survey said that they have also had suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts are one of reasons due to which issue of mental health among international students is considered a burning issue.
In the views of the Office of the National statistics, it has been found that 95 recorded university students committed suicide for 12 months to July 2012 in Wales and England (BBC News, 2018). Further, it has been found that this is lower than for overall inhabitants of similar ages but it does not comprise suicide among the learners at the universities. Until time of July 2017, over 2 million students were learning at the University of the Wales or England. Then, suicide rate of learners was 4.7 deaths per 100,000 students. The suicide rates of men and women who are young are higher. The below-given graph shows the data for the student suicide rate in Wales and England:
The data that is presented shows the suicide that took place within the year 2013-17 and it includes men as well as women. The data is segmented among the different categories of the students. This data includes international students who attempt suicide because of the mental-health issue. Thus, this has been found that the suicide attempts by the international students are increasing due to which the issue of mental health is burning (Mortier, et al, 2018).
In the United States, this has been found that there are more than 350,000 international students from China (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013). It has been released in the study by Yale University in 2013 which reflects that approx. 45% of the Chinese international students on its will report indications of the depression. In comparison about 14.2% of the general college students in America, report indications of the depression as per the report presented by the National college health association in the year 2017 (FU, 2018). Thus, depression among the international student is considered as one of the major mental health issues that have been witnessed.
Besides, this student heading into the university deals with the world of new potentials that come with the all-new tests. In the recent study, the major challenges that have to appear to reach with the critical mass that includes depression and anxiety that remain on rise among Canada’s university students (Heine, 2015). Considering the survey of Ontario university students by American College Health Association among the year 2013 and 2016 that the student population experience a 50% rise in anxiety and 47% rise in depression along with the 47% rise for conducting the suicide attempts. In the recent report, Canadian postsecondary students said that are dealing with the mental health issues that include depression, anxiety and many others. However, there are community-based adult approach is adopted in which they bring the new programmes which include a simple and low-cost way of helping to decline symptoms of slight to reasonable depression and anxiety. This type of services within the primary care setting that could be used for some people as an alternative to different other treatments like medication (Mental Health, 2019).
In the end, this can be stated that mental health issue among the international student is considered one of the essential topics to be discussed. The mental health issue is one of the growing issues due to which some of the people exploit their life as well as their future. The international student deals with mental health issues while completing their further educations in the international university. It has been found that there are different factors due to which the mental-health issues are occurring. This includes the new social environment for international students, language barrier, and problems with the academic paper, articles, and other elements. It has been found in the analysis that daily practices of the international students change due to which they spend time and perform these activities. Most of the customers get affected due to different reasons that include demographic characteristic, financial stress, culture shock, less help-seeking activities. These issues can affect the mental state of mind of an international student. It has been found that this issue is considered as the emerging or burning issue because the consequences of this issue are worst. The mental health affects the international student that they deal with high depression in which they get the suicidal thoughts. It has been found that anxiety disorder and depressions make some of the students to commit suicide. The fact and data have been collected for the suicide that took place due to which the issue became a burning issue.
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