Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China.
International Institute for Child Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou 310012, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 28;19(13):7916. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19137916.
International students in China were among the first group of individuals to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic's impact on their mental health is underexplored. This study-utilizing web-based survey data (N = 381), presents preliminary reports using ANOVA and MIMIC analytic approaches. Following the clinical demarcation of the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), we found 24.6%, 38.3%, and 43.6% of the students to suffer mild to extreme stress, anxiety, and depression, respectively. Female students reported significantly higher levels of stress and depression than males. Older students' reports of stress were more substantial than younger students. Students who reported having a relative infected with the virus (vs. those without) experienced significantly higher anxiety and stress. Those who reported having pre-existing chronic health condition(s) (vs. those without) also reported significantly higher stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Moreover, students with an exercise routine (vs. those without) experienced significantly lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Last, our MIMIC model results indicate that foreign students' age, gender, chronic health status, and having a relative infected with the virus constitute significant risk factors explaining variations in foreign students' experience of psychological distress. Implications for international students' management have been thoroughly discussed.
在中国的国际学生是受 COVID-19 大流行影响的第一批人群之一。然而，大流行对他们心理健康的影响还没有得到充分的研究。本研究利用基于网络的调查数据（N=381），采用方差分析和 MIMIC 分析方法报告了初步结果。根据《抑郁焦虑压力量表 21 项版本》（DASS-21）的临床划分，我们发现分别有 24.6%、38.3%和 43.6%的学生患有轻度至重度压力、焦虑和抑郁。女学生报告的压力和抑郁水平明显高于男学生。年长学生的压力报告比年轻学生更严重。报告有亲属感染病毒的学生（与没有亲属感染病毒的学生相比）经历的焦虑和压力显著更高。报告有既往慢性健康状况的学生（与没有既往慢性健康状况的学生相比）报告的压力、焦虑和抑郁水平也显著更高。此外，有锻炼习惯的学生（与没有锻炼习惯的学生相比）经历的压力、焦虑和抑郁水平显著更低。最后，我们的 MIMIC 模型结果表明，留学生的年龄、性别、慢性健康状况和有亲属感染病毒是解释留学生心理困扰体验差异的重要风险因素。我们彻底讨论了对留学生管理的影响。
