Asia sends a large number of students to Australia, and those students have spoken out about racial and ethnic discrimination, highlighting how it has gotten worse since the pandemic.
In comparison to domestic students, university students in Australia, especially international students, reported worsened mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in the journal BMC Psychology.
In the 14,880 student study titled “Changes in mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic for local and international university students in Australia,” it was discovered that 70.8% of the participants thought their mental health got worse during the pandemic.
According to Erudera.com, restrictions in Australia during the pandemic were one of the problems that contributed to a decline in the mental health and wellbeing of residents at the time, including international students.
Additionally, it was discovered that racism, financial difficulties, and a lack of support all have an impact on students’ mental health.
Asia sends a large number of students to Australia, and those students have spoken out about racial and ethnic discrimination, highlighting how it has gotten worse since the pandemic.
The percentage of international students who reported having little social support, more racial discrimination (38%), and food insecurity (16%) was close to 70%. Employment was a concern for students during the pandemic.
Findings indicate that international students who stayed in Australia during the pandemic were more likely than those who returned to their home countries to struggle mentally, have health issues, and feel homesick.
At the time, the latter group was more worried about their deteriorating relationships with their peers and the university, but they were also having trouble finding suitable housing.
The report notes that, compared to those who were living abroad during the pandemic, international students who were residing in their country of study had worse health mentally, less social support, and were much more likely to have food security problems.
The pandemic and travel restrictions, however, have also been linked to mental health issues among local students.
In addition to mental health, students participating in the survey said that other issues worsened amid the pandemic, including:
Connection to university fellows (82.5 percent)
Connection to university (80.1 percent)
Connection to friends (75.8 percent)
Employment (72.0 percent)
Contrarily, more students—27.5 percent versus 27.7 percent—said they had better relationships with their partners and families. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Orygen earlier this year stressed the necessity of offering specialised health services to international students in Australia in order to prevent suicides.
They added that it should be a top priority to provide mental health support for foreign students studying in the nation. 613,327 foreign students studied in Australia last year, with 365,443 of them enrolled in higher education. In 2022, Chinese students made up the majority of foreign students in Australia, followed by those from India, Nepal, and Vietnam.