The role of social support and sociocultural adjustment for international students' mental health

Abstract

The study aims to assess the role of social support, sociocultural adjustment, and other social and demographic factors in international students' mental health. In total, 193 international first-year students studying Health and Technology Sciences in Lithuania filled out a self-report questionnaire. The study revealed that overall 59% of international students had symptoms of depression and 36%—of anxiety. Students' well-being was sufficient in 56% of the cases. The regression analyses were conducted to test the role of sociocultural adjustment, social support, English reading skills, and the study field for mental health and well-being. The multivariate regression model revealed that sociocultural adjustment is a stronger predictor compared to social support for depressiveness (βs = 0.42), anxiety (βs = 0.30), psychosomatic symptoms (βs = − 0.24), and subjective health (βs = 0.16), though social support was a stronger independent predictor for well-being (βs = 0.37). Moreover, sociocultural adjustment and social support were stronger predictors than gender, while English reading skills and study field were non-significant indicators.

Sociocultural predictors of immigrant adjustment and well-being

“…Furthermore, our results showed that language fluency at the time of study and desire to interact with host nationals do not relate to depression; yet they both represented important ingredients of better psychological adjustment. Similar to our findings, many studies singled out fluency in host language and connections with host nationals as predictors of better adaptation and acculturation ( Yang et al, 2006 ; Miglietta and Tartaglia, 2009 ; Ozer, 2015 ; Chang, 2016 ; Darmanaki Farahani and Bradley, 2018 ; Bethel et al, 2020 ; Nakhaie, 2020 ; Razgulin et al, 2023 ).…”

“…A study on Chinese migrant youth showed psychological adjustment to be directly affected by symptoms of depression as well as social interaction and fluency in language ( Shi et al, 2019 ). Social support and sociocultural adjustment were identified as predictors of the level of depressiveness by another study with social support being singled out as an independent predictor of well-being ( Razgulin et al, 2023 ).…”

Health-Related Behaviours of Foreign Students Studying in Poland and Their Determinants: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…It is also important to create an environment conducive to mental health by providing psychological support, access to support groups, and promoting stress management techniques. Additional initiatives, such as facilitating social integration through cultural events and language courses, can help create a sense of belonging and social support among international students [ 65 , 66 ]. Therefore, the provision of guidance is a necessary and essential component for the effective implementation of the students into the profession [ 67 ].…”