Effects of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of International Students Stranded in China

Abstract

Background: The sudden outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a dramatic negative impact on the lives and mental health of people living in countries around the world. International students were stranded in China because of the pandemic, and they have not received much research attention. This article attempts to address this research gap and help this special group avoid secondary disasters caused by sudden public health events by analyzing the mental health status of overseas students with various characteristics in China. Methods: At the beginning of the outbreak, a cross-sectional and anonymous online survey (N=1547) was used to collect information on participants’ gender and educational background, whether they were about to graduate, whether they were part-time workers, whether they received financial support from their families, their geographic location and sources of information related to COVID-19. At the same time, the three subscales of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to evaluate the mental health status of international students. Finally, descriptive statistics and regression analysis were performed by cross-tabulation analysis and ordered logistic analysis, respectively. Results: Among international students in China, the mental health of women and graduating students was at greater risk. Students whose financial resources were unstable, such as international students who did not receive support from their families or who lost their part-time jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, were more vulnerable in regard to their mental health. The mental health of students from Southeast Asia was more at risk than that of students from East Asia, while students from South Asia and Africa were between the two groups. The mental health level of students who used the public social platform as their main information source was lower than that of students who used the World Health Organization as their main information source. Conclusion: Through the analysis of the mental health status of international students who were stranded in China during winter vacation in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that women, PhD students and international students about to graduate were vulnerable to psychological problems. Furthermore, financial and information sources had a substantial impact on the mental health of international students in China during the pandemic. Based on these conclusions, we suggest that special groups such as international students should be given targeted assistance, including mental health interventions, livelihood support and COVID-19-related health courses, during major public health crises.