Author: Weiyang Xiong
Xiong, Weiyang, 2025 Investigating the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Chinese International Tertiary Students in Australia, Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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International students are a vitally important population in the tertiary education landscape. However, these students often encounter various stressors which impact on their psychosocial adjustment and acculturation while studying abroad. Past studies of international students have generally treated this population as a whole, without distinguishing international students from different countries. Additionally, studies comparing mental health outcomes between international and domestic students have yielded mixed results. Some studies show better mental health outcomes for domestic students, while others find no significant differences or suggest international students generally fare worse. This thesis, comprising four studies, investigated the mental health of Chinese international tertiary students in Australia and the role of acculturative stress in poor mental health.
Study 1 conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the mental health outcomes of domestic and international tertiary students and examined whether significant differences exist between these two groups. Thirty-five studies were included. Results showed no significant differences in mental health outcomes between domestic and international tertiary students, with very small but non-significant effects found between these two groups on anxiety, depression, psychological distress and wellbeing. However, most of the included studies were not optimally designed and reported. Among higher-quality studies, international students reported fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress than domestic students. In contrast, domestic students reported higher wellbeing on quality-of-life measures. Overall, however, most university students in the included studies reported poor mental health and wellbeing, which demonstrates that university students are a vulnerable population that may experience significant mental health problems.
Study 2 used a cross-sectional design to investigate the mental health and wellbeing of university students in Australia. This study was designed to identify potential differences in mental health outcomes between domestic and international tertiary students. The results identified moderate to severe levels of psychological distress and moderate to high levels of loneliness among a subset of the sampled population. The findings showed that international students reported higher mental wellbeing, lower perfectionism, lower psychological distress, but also perceived lower social support than domestic students. Specifically, Chinese international students reported higher mental wellbeing, lower perfectionism, and lower psychological distress than domestic students and international students from other countries. These cross-sectional data and findings were the foundation for the next study in this PhD project.
Study 3 was a two-wave longitudinal study which aimed to investigate the acculturation challenges of Chinese international tertiary students in Australia, and how various stressors may contribute to their acculturative stress and mental health. Participants in Australia were assessed in 2023 after their arrival (T1) and five months later (T2), while a comparison group of Chinese tertiary students in China were assessed at the same time. Contrary to expectations, the two groups did not differ on standardized measures of psychological distress, loneliness, wellbeing, social support, and resilience. However, Chinese international students reported greater acculturative stress at T2 than at T1. Additionally, most participants (84.3%) reported that language barriers and communication difficulties were the most significant challenge in adapting to life in Australia. Taken together, Study 2 and 3 highlighted some of the important challenges in effectively surveying Chinese students, particularly in relation to self-report issues such as stigma.
Study 4 employed a qualitative data approach to explore Chinese international students’ acculturation challenges in Australia and the strategies employed to manage these challenges. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified five main themes: ‘language barriers’, ‘social engagement’, ‘dietary changes’, ‘sports and fitness in acculturation’, and ‘mental health support’. Each of these themes are explored in detail with supporting quote material that provide an important ‘lived experience’ insights to complement and corroborate the observations of Studies 1 to 3. The results suggested that Chinese international students and the university student landscape in general may benefit from policies, interventions, and social environmental changes that promote social connections, English language proficiency, and mental health literacy to ensure a smoother transition in Australia.
Based on these studies, this thesis recommends that Chinese international students may benefit from supports and interventions which target specific areas of acculturative stress, particularly pertaining to language proficiency and social support, to enhance their mental health and study. Future studies should integrate subjective measures of mental health data with objective records of student reports, such as grade point averages (GPAs), class attendance, and engagement with mental health services, to better identify international students who may be at risk of academic stress and psychosocial problems, hence fostering their academic success and mental health. There is a corresponding need to continually evaluate current measures in terms of their benefits for international students in order to optimise support, as well as identify priority areas for ongoing improvement of student learning and wellbeing.
Keywords: Acculturation, Chinese international students, mental health, psychological distress, University students, Wellbeing
Subject: Psychology thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2025
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Daniel King