Review of the Literature on Stress and Wellbeing of International Students in English-Speaking Countries

This review aims to address the major sources of stress experienced by international students, the role of individual differences, the chronology of their stress levels and wellbeing over time, and gaps in the existing literature. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Psych Info) were searched for En...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International education studies 2018-05, Vol.11 (6), p.22
Main Authors: Alharbi, Eman S., Smith, Andrew P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acculturation
Age Differences
Context Effect
Coping
Depression (Psychology)
Educational Research
English (Second Language)
Ethnicity
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Graduate Students
Individual Differences
Language Proficiency
Literature Reviews
Mental Health
Personality Traits
Psychological Patterns
Role
Second Language Learning
Social Discrimination
Social Support Groups
Stress Variables
Student Adjustment
Student Attitudes
Undergraduate Students
Well Being
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Summary:This review aims to address the major sources of stress experienced by international students, the role of individual differences, the chronology of their stress levels and wellbeing over time, and gaps in the existing literature. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Psych Info) were searched for English peer-reviewed articles using eight search terms. Thirty-eight studies were included in this paper and divided into themes and sub-themes including sources of stress, individual differences and mental health including stress, depression and wellbeing. The findings highlight major stressors and show mixed results in some areas due to the lack of homogenous samples based on country of origin or ethnicity and sometimes context differences concerning the country or university social dynamics. Limitations were identified in the methodology, and several recommendations for future research are included.
ISSN:1913-9020
1913-9039
DOI:10.5539/ies.v11n6p22