a growing experience - Student Services - University of Melbourne

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HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSThe most common reason given for not seeking help when needed is the view that theproblem was not sufficiently important. Other reasons centre on lack of informationof different types. Culturally-based perceptions also seem to contribute to students’failure to seek help. Students who did seek help from health and counselling servicesreported positive perceptions of the help they received.10. Key factors that predict well-beingThe word ‘predictor’ is being used here in a statistical and not a causal sense. Anyinterpretation of the role played by predictors in the different aspects of well-being isspeculative. Some interpretations can be suggested, particularly where findings fromrelevant research are available but, in terms of the present study and its data, theyremain speculative.A strong sense of connectedness is fundamental to students’ well-being. Students’level of connectedness is positively related to their perceptions in all domains of theirlife in Melbourne. Level of connectedness is also a significant predictor of students’satisfaction with aspects of daily life and health, such as living arrangements,financial support, lifestyle balance, and with their levels of self-esteem anddepression.A low level of cultural stress is also fundamental to students’ well-being. Students’level of cultural stress is negatively related to their perceptions of well-being in alldomains of their life in Melbourne. Its most powerful role as a predictor lies in thedomain of physical and mental health. Cultural stress is a very strong, positivepredictor of depression, anxiety and stress. It also predicts perceived healthinterference in study. In addition, it acts as a predictor in other domains, though to alesser extent. To reduce students’ level of cultural stress would be to enable studentsto experience a greater sense of well-being in a multitude of ways.Depression is a consistent predictor of lack of well-being. In the domain of living andstudying in Melbourne, it is negatively associated with students’ satisfaction withliving arrangements, finance and lifestyle balance. High levels of depression predict aweak sense of well-being in each of these three aspects of living and studying inMelbourne. In the domain of health, depression is a negative predictor of self-esteemand a positive predictor of drug use, alcohol use and self-harm. Its strength as apredictor is highest for self-esteem and self-harm. Anxiety and stress play lessconsistent roles as predictors; when they do contribute significantly to prediction ofdimensions of well-being, they are negative predictors.Perceived academic progress contributes significantly to the prediction of well-beingin several domains. Stronger perceptions of academic progress predict higher levelsof connectedness, lower levels of cultural stress, better balance between study andother activities, lower levels of abuse and associated distress, lower levels ofdepression and general stress, stronger global self-esteem, and lower involvement inself-harm behaviour.Involvement in risk-taking behaviours is a common predictor of aspects ofpsychological well-being; the Perceptions of Drug Use and Perceptions of AlcoholUse scales are significant positive predictors of depression, anxiety and stress.Rosenthal, Russell & Thomson, 2006 5
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSPerceived drug and alcohol use, together with involvement in gambling/smoking, areconsistent predictors of health-related behaviours. Each pair of these behaviourspredicts the third, thus the three form a tightly-knit, interdependent cluster of riskybehaviours. Alcohol use also acts as a significant positive predictor of self-harm. Inaddition, the Perceptions of Gambling/Smoking scale is a strong negative predictor ofcondom use.Various measures relating to cultural background, such as country category, comingfrom an Asian country, speaking a LOTE off campus, act as significant predictors ofwell-being in the different domains. One or more of these measures has contributedsignificantly to the prediction of connectedness, cultural stress, satisfaction with livingarrangements and financial support, perceived health interference in study, drug use,alcohol use, and using university health services when in need. The Cultural Stressscale, which is pervasive in its influence, also acts as an indicator of culturalbackground.One variable that is particularly important in predicting students’ use of the universityhealth and counselling services is friendship with others who have used theseservices. Other variables that contribute to the prediction of dimensions of well-beingin the different domains are sporadic in their contributions: years of enrolment, coursetype, gender, age, and participation in a Foundation Studies program.11. Group differences in well-beingTime in Australia: Differences based on the number of years of enrolment are few andfocus on aspects of sociocultural, not psychological, adaptation. The number of yearsof secondary schooling in Australia seems unrelated to well-being. Students fromAsian countries who have participated in a Foundation Studies program seem to gaina stronger sense of connectedness, particularly with co-culturals, but at the same timethey seem to experience less confidence and greater stress than their counterparts inadapting to life and study in Australia. Perhaps the reasons for self-selecting into theprogram can account for this latter point.Age: Older students seem to have a stronger sense of well-being than youngerstudents in most domains.Gender: Female students show higher levels of psychological distress than malestudents, while male students are more involved in risky health-related behaviours.Relationships: Group differences on the basis of marital status are mainly concernedwith social activity, experience of cultural stress, other forms of psychological distressand sexual behaviour. Parents who have a child living with them in Australia have astronger sense of connectedness in Melbourne and a lower level of cultural stress thanthose who do not.Course of study: The undergraduate/postgraduate variable is confounded with age andtends to produce similar results. There are significant differences in students’ sense ofwell-being, based on the faculty in which students are enrolled. Some of thesedifferences are probably related to the number and country origin of internationalstudents in the different faculties. Other factors, such as length of course, course type,approaches to teaching and learning, and course requirements, would also beRosenthal, Russell & Thomson, 2006 6
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