“I don’t belong to either side. I lost my identity”: A Thematic Analysis Study on Chinese International Students’ Interpersonal Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
type: CreativeWork
description: Background and Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous impacts on everyone’s life globally. However, Chinese international students (CIS) are not only susceptible to challenges brought about by COVID-19 but also endure stigma and discrimination for being “virus carriers” due to their Chinese nationality. As international students, they face additional challenges because of travel restrictions and visa issues, which exacerbate their social isolation and precipitate psychological distress. This study aims to inform practice to promote anti-discriminatory and culturally competent interventions that support this population’s mental health. Research Questions: What are CIS’s interpersonal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic? Does CIS face stigma and discrimination related to COVID-19 in their interpersonal encounters with the non-Chinese population? How do they cope with mental health challenges during the pandemic? In what ways do family and ethnic/national identity shape CIS’s experiences? Methods: Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with CIS (aged 20 to 28) who resided in the United States for at least 10 months during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to May 2022). Purposive sampling was employed, recruiting participants through social media advertisements, including a Chinese students’ association WeChat group in a university and Facebook. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese via Zoom. Reflective thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's (2012, 2013, 2014, 2020) framework, was employed using NVivo for coding and analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that CIS employed mostly active coping strategies to address the challenges they faced during the pandemic. They struggled to deal with discrimination because of their ethnic and national identity, with some participants coping with direct confronting and providing information to counter stereotypes, whereas others resorting to secrecy and withdrawal. The findings also…
abstract: Background and Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous impacts on everyone’s life globally. However, Chinese international students (CIS) are not only susceptible to challenges brought about by COVID-19 but also endure stigma and discrimination for being “virus carriers” due to their Chinese nationality. As international students, they face additional challenges because of travel restrictions and visa issues, which exacerbate their social isolation and precipitate psychological distress. This study aims to inform practice to promote anti-discriminatory and culturally competent interventions that support this population’s mental health. Research Questions: What are CIS’s interpersonal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic? Does CIS face stigma and discrimination related to COVID-19 in their interpersonal encounters with the non-Chinese population? How do they cope with mental health challenges during the pandemic? In what ways do family and ethnic/national identity shape CIS’s experiences? Methods: Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with CIS (aged 20 to 28) who resided in the United States for at least 10 months during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to May 2022). Purposive sampling was employed, recruiting participants through social media advertisements, including a Chinese students’ association WeChat group in a university and Facebook. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese via Zoom. Reflective thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's (2012, 2013, 2014, 2020) framework, was employed using NVivo for coding and analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that CIS employed mostly active coping strategies to address the challenges they faced during the pandemic. They struggled to deal with discrimination because of their ethnic and national identity, with some participants coping with direct confronting and providing information to counter stereotypes, whereas others resorting to secrecy and withdrawal. The findings also…
author: Fan, Linlin
language: en
keywords: Social Work
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date published: 2024
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:46:44Z
provider: University of Pennsylvania
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Pennsylvania