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An Exploration of Asian International Students’ Mental Health: Comparisons to American Students and Other International Students in the United States

Xiong, Yiying
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0887-5587
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou152595195493441

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Counselor Education (Education).
The increasing severity and complexity of mental health problems among the college population in the U.S. in the recent years have been well documented (American College Counseling Association, 2015). At the same time, increasing number of international students from Asian countries have enrolled in the U.S. institutions of higher education (Institute of International Education, 2016). Asian international students were reported to have severe mental health issues and low intention to seek help from counseling and psychological services (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013). The focus of this research was to investigate the mental health of Asian international students in the U.S. through a nationwide sample. The researcher of the study employed secondary data analysis to study the differences of mental health and help-seeking related variables among Asian international students, American students, and other international students. The four-year data (2011-2014) from American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment were used. Moreover, Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied to compare the differences and study the relationships. The results were: (1) Asian international students’ mental health was not different nor seemed more severe than American students and other international students, but their self-report of self-injury, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts were higher than those of American students and other international students; (2) gender, stress level, marital status, stressors related to personal were significant predictors of their mental health; (3) Asian international students sought less mental health services and were less willing to seek those services than American students and other international students; (4) help-seeking intentions partially mediated the relationship between Asian international students’ mental health and their help-seeking behavior; and (5) the relationships of mental health, help-seeking intentions, and help-seeking behavior among Asian international students were significantly different from those of American students and other international students. This study helps faculty members and other university personnel who work with Asian international students to better understand and improve their mental health status. It also provides mental health professionals insights into cultural differences within their international student clients and assists them in promoting help-seeking behavior of international students. In addition, this study contributes to the literature on Asian international students’ mental health by utilizing a nationwide sample, incorporating the internalizing-externalizing model of pathology (Krueger, 1999; Krueger & Markon, 2006), and including two comparison groups.
Pillay Yegan (Advisor)
Christina Bhat (Committee Member)
Lijing Yang (Committee Member)
Ginger Weade (Committee Member)
Nicholas Allen (Committee Member)
179 p.
Counseling Education
Asian international students; mental health; help-seeking intentions; help-seeking behavior

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Xiong, Y. (2018). An Exploration of Asian International Students’ Mental Health: Comparisons to American Students and Other International Students in the United States [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou152595195493441

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Xiong, Yiying. An Exploration of Asian International Students’ Mental Health: Comparisons to American Students and Other International Students in the United States. 2018. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou152595195493441.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Xiong, Yiying. "An Exploration of Asian International Students’ Mental Health: Comparisons to American Students and Other International Students in the United States." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou152595195493441

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.