Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Department of Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Science, Tilburg, Netherlands.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2023 Sep 8;17:e485. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2023.118.
Restrictions to minimize social contact was necessary to prevent the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus but may have impacted individuals' mental well-being. Emotional responses are modulated by contextual information. Living abroad during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have boosted the feeling of isolation as the context is unfamiliar.
This study compared the psychological impact of social distancing in national students (living in a familiar context) versus international students (living in an unfamiliar context).
During March/April 2020 (first lockdown in the Netherlands), 850 university students completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to compare how students' responses to the virus were predicted by health anxiety, emotional distress, and personal traits.
Compared with national students, international students showed higher levels in 4 identified factors (COVID-19-related worry, perceived risk of infection, distance from possibly contaminated objects, distance from social situations). The factors were mainly predicted by health anxiety across international students, while emotional distress and individual traits (eg, intolerance of uncertainty) played a role across national students.
In the familiar context, individual characteristics (traits) predicted the responses to the virus, while the unfamiliar context drove individuals' health-focused responses. Living in a foreign country is associated with psychological burdens and this should be considered by universities for more pronounced social support and clear references to health-related institutions.
为了防止严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2 型（SARS-CoV-2）病毒的传播，限制社交接触是必要的，但这可能会影响个人的心理健康。情绪反应受到上下文信息的调节。在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，在国外生活可能会因为环境不熟悉而增强孤立感。
本研究比较了在熟悉的环境中（居住在熟悉的环境中的本国学生）和在不熟悉的环境中（居住在不熟悉的环境中的国际学生）的社交距离对本国学生的心理影响。
在 2020 年 3 月/4 月（荷兰第一次封锁期间），850 名大学生完成了一项在线调查。结构方程模型（SEM）用于比较学生对病毒的反应是如何由健康焦虑、情绪困扰和个人特征预测的。
与本国学生相比，国际学生在 4 个确定的因素上表现出更高的水平（与 COVID-19 相关的担忧、感染风险的感知、与可能污染物体的距离、与社交情境的距离）。这些因素主要通过国际学生的健康焦虑来预测，而情绪困扰和个体特征（如不确定性容忍度）在本国学生中发挥作用。
在熟悉的环境中，个体特征（特质）预测了对病毒的反应，而不熟悉的环境则推动了个体的以健康为中心的反应。生活在外国会带来心理负担，这应该引起大学的重视，提供更明显的社会支持，并明确提到与健康相关的机构。
