Week 1: The Student Experience
Comparative Research Review Model
Mental Health Issues Facing International Students in Australian Universities
Introduction
Australia continues to be a popular destination to study abroad, as demonstrated by continued growth
in the number of international students enrolled in tertiary courses. In 2019, there was an increase in
enrolments of more than 10% compared to the same time the previous year, with about 900,500
students enrolling across various education sectors according to 2019 official figures from the
Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE 2019). While there are many well documented
positive aspects of studying abroad in a multicultural higher education environment, it can also be very
challenging (Kamardeen and Sunindijo 2018:5, Clough et al. 2019) and in recent times, with the
worldwide threat of Covid19, the psychological wellbeing of international students has become a more
serious concern (Forbes-Mewett 2020). It is important for the long-term health and wellbeing of
international students in Australia that the mental health challenges they face are understood and
disseminated widely across the university sector, to enable all stakeholders to understand these issues
and act effectively to support international students. This review compares two quantitative primary
research studies which investigated mental health challenges and related behaviours of international
students and domestic students.
The two studies
Clough et al. (2019) conducted a quantitative study to investigate differences between domestic and
international students in mental health and also mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking
behaviours. It was expected that differences would be revealed between the two groups, and that local
students would be more pro-active in dealing with mental health challenges than international
students (Clough et al. 2019:125). Online surveys were used to collect data from 357 tertiary students
(148 local and 209 international) from different disciplines and tertiary levels at an Australian
university, and the responses were then analysed statistically. These authors found similar moderate
levels of psychological stress in both domestic and international students (Clough et al. 2019:129).
However, international students demonstrated lower MHL than domestic students and poorer
attitudes to seeking help (Clough et al. 2019:129). In particular, international students were less likely
to seek help from health services.
Kamardeen and Sunindijo’s (2018) study recruited 107 graduate construction management students in
eight Australian universities. The research purpose was to compare local (n=75) and overseas (n=32)
students regarding both the causes and difficulty level of their mental health challenges, how this
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affected their academic studies and how they managed the challenges. According to these authors,
international graduate students in construction management may experience particularly high stress,
since they belong to several categories (international students, mature students, construction industry)
that all experience higher stress compared to others (Kamardeen and Sunindijo 2018:1). Their study
also used online survey data and analysed the responses statistically. Kamardeen and Sunindijo report
complex and detailed results. In summary: the overall mental health of the participants was similar,
although international students suffered from anxiety, while local students experienced more stress
and depression and both groups had significant stressors related to academic studies (Kamardeen and
Sunindijo 2018:4). In addition, both cohorts also experienced employment-related concerns, but
interestingly the domestic students were concerned about balancing present work and study
requirements while the international students’ concern was about finding a future job after finishing
their studies. The study also found some important similarities between the coping strategies of the
two groups.
Discussion
These two studies differ slightly in their approach to students’ mental health: Clough et al. (2019) are
interested not only in differences in mental health, but also in students’ knowledge about mental
health (MHL) and their help-seeking behaviours. Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2018), on the other hand,
are more interested in the relative importance of different causes of psychological distress for
students, the impact on their studies and how students manage the challenges.
The samples used in these two studies were significantly different. The international student sample of
Clough et al. (2018:125) was large (n=209) and included diverse undergraduate and graduate students.
However, all participants were from a single university which limits generalisation of the results. In
contrast, the very specific cohort of Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2018:4) included only 32 international
students. All of them were graduate students from the same discipline and participants were drawn
from eight universities across Australia, so it seems likely that, although small, this sample may be
considered representative of the specific study population. However, it may be questionable that “the
results are likely transferrable to graduate students in other disciplines and in other countries” as the
authors argue (Kamardeen and Sunindijo 2018:8) and further research would be needed to confirm
this.
Perhaps surprisingly, although both studies claim that international students may be considered
particularly vulnerable to mental health struggles (Clough et al. 2019:123, 132; Kamardeen and
Sunindijo:1) neither study concluded that international students had significantly poorer mental health
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than their local peers. Specifically, Clough et al. (2019:131) noted no significant difference in terms of
psychological distress, and Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2018:4) reported that both groups fell within the
normal range of mental health symptoms, although both were towards the higher end of what is
classified as ‘normal’. Moreover, the latter study showed that anxiety was a greater issue for the
international students, while the domestic students tended to suffer more from stress and depression.
Further research could develop these findings more fully and explore these specific differences. For
instance, qualitative studies would be useful for detailed study of international students’ experiences
of anxiety, stress and depression.
The studies revealed some interesting differences in regard to coping strategies: Kamardeen and
Sunindijo (2018:4) found that both groups used similar problem-focused coping strategies, but Clough
et al.’s study noted that although both groups demonstrated similar levels of intention to seek help
with mental health (Clough et al. 2019:131-2), international students were less likely to seek help from
health and support services (Clough et al. 2019:131). The authors suggest that it is possible that
international students may use other ways to cope with psychological distress, and this is clearly an
area which invites further research so that future support services can be better designed to meet
international students’ needs.
Conclusion
It is clear that mental health issues are a very real concern for international students, and both these
studies aim to contribute to better support for this cohort. The research illustrates that there is much
still to learn about the difficulties that international students face, how they manage and what support
is needed. Future research may need to determine more specifically the nature of the issues and risks
for specific groups within the broad category of ‘international tertiary students.’ For example,
nationality, gender and time in Australia are all likely to play a role. Increased attention to issues of
psychological wellbeing will help to ensure that Australia remains an important international education
destination.
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References
Clough B, Nazareth S, Day J and Casey L (2019) ‘A comparison of mental health literacy, attitudes and
help-seeking intentions among domestic and international tertiary students’, British Journal of
Guidance & Counselling, 47 (1): 123-135, https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1459473
Department of Education, Skills and Employment, DESE (2019) International student enrolments in
Australia 1994–2019, Australian Government, accessed 6 August 2021.
Forbes-Mewett H (2 September 2020) The impact of COVID-19 on international student mental health,
International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), accessed 14 June 2021.
Kamardeen I and Sunindijo R Y (2018) ‘Stressors impacting the performance of graduate construction
students: Comparison of domestic and international students’, Journal of Professional Issues in
Engineering Education and Practice, 144 (4): 04018011, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EI.19435541.0000392
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