Depressive symptoms faced by non-native international medical students in China during COVID-19

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Weiqing Zhuang¹  Ramiz Ur Rehman²  Muhammad Akram Naseem²  Gao Xiang⁴  Muhammad Ishfaq Ahmad² 

[1] School of Economics and Trade, Fujian University of Technology;Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore;School of Business, Sohar University;Department of Public Utility Management, Guangzhou Medical University

关键词: depressive symptoms;    pandemic;    Language barrier;    Students;    financial issues;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1037786

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

This study examines depressive symptoms faced by non-native international medical students studying in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. The targeted population for this cross-sectional study included non-native medical students studying in Chinese universities. This study used convenience sampling. An online, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to international medical students studying in Chinese universities from February 2020 to June 2021. The questionnaire collected demographic data, information regarding struggles faced, and used the CES-D-10 Likert scale to assess both the challenges and depression symptoms, respectively. By analyzing the 1,207 students' responses, the study found that students with poor Chinese language were two times more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms (OR = 2.67; p-value 0.00). Moreover, female students were found more prone (76.35%) than their male counterparts (44.96%). The study found that food adaptability, health issues, accommodation issues, and financial issues were related factors contributing to depressive symptoms among non-native international medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study tried to highlight the factors that resulted in depressive symptoms among non-native international medical students, and the findings may help diplomatic representatives take necessary actions to help their citizens during this difficult time.

【 授权许可】

CC BY