Universität Tübingen
Mental Health of International Students: Prevalence and Predictors for Mental Disorders and Symptom Severity
Abstract
Background: The number of international university students has dramatically increased during the last decades, being Germany one of the major host countries. Although it has been suggested that international students may be at higher risk for the development of mental disorders compared to domestic students, only few studies have examined the mental health of this population. Therefore, the present study aimed to estimate the prevalence rates of mental disorders [major depressive disorder (MDD), other depressive disorder, somatoform disorder and anxiety disorder], the symptom severity and the course of symptoms over time among the population of international students, and to explore if there are significant differences between this group and German students. Furthermore, potential predictors of mental disease (demographic characteristics, neuroticism, extraversion, social support, stress, resilience, traumatic life events, positive and negative life experiences) were examined. Methods: The study included a cross-sectional design (T1) and a follow-up assessment (T2), using an online survey developed for data collection. The samples for T1 included 712 international and 2662 German students. At T2, 112 international students and 488 German students participated in the study. Measurement invariance for neuroticism, extraversion, social support and resilience was tested using structural equation modeling. While logistic regression analyses were conducted including observed variables, linear regressions included also latent variables. Results: Results showed high prevalence rates of mental disorders among both international and German students at T1. The minority of the students suffering from a mental disorder were receiving mental health treatment. Compared to German students, international students showed significantly lower scores of neuroticism, extraversion and social support. Furthermore, international students had significantly higher stress levels, more traumatic life events and higher scores of negative life experiences. Full scalar invariance was established for extraversion, social support and resilience and partial scalar invariance for neuroticism. When controlling for the effect of covariates, international students were at higher risk for MDD, somatoform disorder, anxiety disorder and for more severe depressive, somatic and anxiety symptoms. Higher neuroticism and higher stress levels stood out as core predictors of mental disorders at T1. Additionally, gender, lower age, social support and traumatic life events were also associated with several outcome variables. Core predictors of a poorer course of symptoms at follow-up were the severity of symptoms at T1 and current stress levels. Conclusions: The findings indicated that mental disorders are prevalent among the population of international and German students, being international students at higher risk for mental illness. Neuroticism and stress levels were main predictors of the development of mental disorders and more severe symptoms. The severity of symptoms and current stress levels were found to be main predictors of the curse of symptoms over time. Furthermore, the results indicated that international and German students differed regarding several important aspect that can influence mental health. These results strongly indicated that prevention, detection and treatment of mental disorders among university students and especially among international students should be a priority. It would be important to evaluate the actual offer in mental health services provided by the universities and to identify potential factors that are acting as barriers for receiving treatment among these populations. Future research assessing this problematic can help to increase the knowledge about the mental health of international and domestic university students. Evidence-based programs for prevention and treatment of specific mental problems of international and domestic students should be developed and evaluated.
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author
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- Grez Buchling, Marcela
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Identifier
- hdl:10900/49756