Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40148815›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic in international students: a qualitative study.

Jingru Ma, Kazuya Saita, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jingru MaGraduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
Kazuya SaitaGraduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
Fumiko KanekoGraduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
Hitoshi OkamuraGraduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan. hokamura@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5629-9342

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems worldwide; however, research on the stressors experienced by international students during the COVID-19 pandemic remains limited.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 international students (male, 8; female, 12; average age, 31.5 years) at Hiroshima University, Japan. Inductive thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software to identify how international students (1) perceived and experienced stress and (2) describe the specific stressors they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

resultsThe findings revealed that international students experienced multiple stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic, including extrapersonal (e.g., financial pressure), interpersonal (e.g., social commentary and perceived xenophobia against foreigners), and intrapersonal (e.g., fear of infection) stressors.

conclusionsResults revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign students experienced stress from various sources. Although this global pandemic has ended, similar public health crises may occur in the future. Examination of the sources of stress faced by international students during the pandemic can help us obtain valuable lessons for responding to future global crises. These findings can provide better policy support, resource allocation, and mental health assistance for the international student community during future crises.

Indexed as

COVID-19Stress, PsychologicalStudentsAdultFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicJapanMalePandemicsQualitative ResearchUniversitiesYoung AdultCOVID-19Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)International studentsPublic mental healthStressor

Identifiers

PMID40148815
PMCPMC11951657

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.