Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Feb 2023)

Pre- and Post-Pandemic (COVID-19) Mental Health of International Students: Data from a Longitudinal Study

  • Jamshaid S,
  • Bahadar N,
  • Jamshed K,
  • Rashid M,
  • Imran Afzal M,
  • Tian L,
  • Umar M,
  • Feng X,
  • Khan I,
  • Zong M

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 431 – 446

Abstract

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Samrah Jamshaid,1,2 Noor Bahadar,3 Kamran Jamshed,4 Misbah Rashid,5 Muhammad Imran Afzal,2 Lv Tian,1 Muhammad Umar,6 Xuechao Feng,7 Imtiaz Khan,8 Minru Zong1 1Department of Rehabilitation, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Transgenic Animals, Changchun WISH Testing Technology & Service Co, Ltd, Building E11, Beihu Science Park B, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China; 4Business School, Bahria University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan; 5Department of Psychology, Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan, Pakistan; 6Department of Orthopaedics, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 7Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Weed Science and Botany, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar, KPK, PakistanCorrespondence: Minru Zong, Department of Rehabilitation, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, No. 126 Xiantai Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130033, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: International students are highly vulnerable to the risk of mental health worsening before and during the pandemic (COVID-19). This study investigated international students’ mental health pre- and post-pandemic (COVID-19).Methods: It is a longitudinal study, and data were collected online, pre-pandemic (N = 470) and during the pandemic (N = 420). Using a random sampling technique, a self-administered questionnaire was used to measure mental health, including depression and anxiety.Results: Findings show that international students’ mental health was good in pre-pandemic. Meanwhile, international students were found to be more depressed and anxious during the pandemic. Findings also investigated that in the pre-pandemic phase, young students’ and mainly females’ mental health was worsened.Conclusion: This study concluded that students’ mental problems are alarming, so the university should provide psychological services for the student’s mental health. Post-pandemic is leaving long-lasting psychological effects and will require further investigation.Keywords: Covid-19, anxiety, depression, international students, mental health

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