ArticleBMC psychology2023
Changes in mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic for local and international university students in Australia: a cohort study.
Article in BMC psychology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Experiences of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Among Women International Students in Australia.Violence against women · 2026Article
- Unequal burdens: a scoping review of key social determinants of health affecting wellbeing of international vs. domestic students.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Paths to Autonomous Motivation and Well-being: Understanding the Contribution of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in Health Professions Students.Medical science educator · 2024Article
- The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of dental students at an Australian school.Australian dental journal · 2024Article
- Study Abroad Angst: A Literature Review on the Mental Health of International Students During COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Article
- Design and effectiveness of an online group logotherapy intervention on the mental health of Iranian international students in European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Psychometric properties of a new instrument for the measurement of the perceived quality of distance learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePrevious research has indicated that university students experienced substantial mental health issues during the global COVID-19 pandemic, but few studies have considered changes relative to pre-pandemic levels across population groups. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare changes in mental health and associated stressors across the pandemic for international and local university students studying in Australia.
methodsIn a cohort of 4407 university students, we assessed depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 2), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2), social support (Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey), inability to afford food, fear of partner, and experiences of discrimination, both pre-pandemic (April-May 2019) and during the pandemic (September-October 2020). Change in prevalence between local and international students were estimated with logistic regression, adjusting for baseline factors.
resultsCompared to local students, international students experienced an increase in probable major depression (odds ratio (OR) 1.43, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.23, 1.66), low social support (OR 2.63, 95% CI 2.23, 3.11), inability to afford food (OR 5.21, 95% CI 3.97, 6.83) race-based discrimination (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.82, 2.68) and fear of partner (OR 3.46, 95% CI 2.26, 5.13). Interaction analyses indicated that these issues were more likely to be experienced by students living outside their country of origin, inclusive of international students based in Australia (depression p value interaction term 0.02).
conclusionThe pandemic had a substantial negative impact on international students, particularly those living outside of their country of origin during the pandemic. The inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic were present prior to the pandemic and are likely to continue post-pandemic without action. Interventions to build the supports for international students need to be urgently explored.
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