Psychological Problems Faced by International Students in Australia

Psychological Problems Faced by International Students in Australia

Introduction

According to the 2004 education global report, it was found that Australian institutes of higher learning accommodate nearly 9% of the world’s students’ population. Out of the percentage, 228,555 students were found to be registered in the universities and colleges in Australia. 75% of the total foreign population often comes from the southern continent (Glass and Braskamp 2012, p. 56). Moreover, the foreign students in Australia comprise up to 24.2% of the total learners in the country. The new learners in the state contribute 15% of the institution’s revenues.

Nevertheless, these learners experience various complications during the course of learning. At first, foreign learners experience new terminologies, environment, regulations, accommodation, idiosyncratic differences, racial segregation, loneliness, and other related factors (Hallett et al 2012, p. 37). Therefore, the new environment forces them to cope up with unpredictable circumstances so that they can accomplish the core aim which took them to foreign territories. Above all, the most devastating issue foreign students in Australia face is the experience of psychological problems.

Theoretical framework

Psychological problems not only upset academic undertakings of such learners but they also lower student’s self-esteem. The global summit on mental problems which was held in 2011 regarding the foreign students found that guiding and counseling sessions on learners is an appropriate technique of reducing psychological glitches in overseas scholars in Australia (http://www.deewr. gov.au 2012, p. 10). Psychological issues affecting this group often lead to adverse results like committing of suicide.

In Australia, a big fraction of varsity students is psychologically tortured as a result of high demands which are expected from them by the institutions. The demands include stipulated regulations regarding academic performance, the accepted code of conduct in those universities, and matters related to the general welfare of learners. According to Maclennan and others (2012), one out of four foreign students between the age of 15 and 24 years usually face the problem of psychological illness each year.

Moreover, the study which was conducted in 2015 on foreign students from the University of Melbourne found that other factors like bad health, drug abuse, and lack of financial support are among the other causes of psychological distress in foreign learners in Australia (Maclennan et al 2012, p. 86). Among the female students, the proportion of mental difficulties is caused by factors like depression, nervousness, and imbalance in their diets. In male foreign students, psychological issues are primarily bought by the orientation in terms of sexual issues, substance abuse among others factors.

Methodology

During the analysis to find the psychological problems which learners face while they are in Australia, there were numerous methodologies that were used to find accurate data on this research. The qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilized by the correspondents to determine the rate at which foreign students are affected mentally in the due course of their studies. Quantitative data aimed at providing reactions to the research objectives that were needed to be accomplished.

There was a questionnaire which was given to a certain percentage of learners who represented other foreign students. This was the best approach because some of the learners had been victims of psychological torture but received treatment using different intervention. The degree of participation was measured by formatting all the questions to represent the Likert scale system of 1=Never; 2=Rarely; 3=Sometimes; 4=Often; 5=Very Often (Meiklejohn Connor and Kypri 2012, p. 33). The interview on each correspondent lasted for approximately 30 minutes. Below is a table showing how foreign students are psychologically affected while they are in Australia.

More so, there was the use of a system called the web-based survey where more foreign students were allowed to participate in the interview. Learners who participated in the interview had stayed in Australian Universities for more than one month (Maclennan et al 2012, p. 86). The survey was done during the second semester of their studies. The technique which was applied in finding how foreign learners are mentally affected was considered to the best since participants used a survey link to communicate with researchers. The link was free to everyone and it looked like the one below: (http://smhs.heroku.com/). Nonetheless, the methodology was basically based on the internet techniques that were developed for the last ten years.

Findings

After conducting a thorough analysis on more than 250 foreign students who were in various Australian universities, it was realized that 66.6% of the learners had encountered mental problems as a result of loneliness, particularly during their first months of study (Torvik Rognmo and Tambs 2012, p. 810). Furthermore, the state of isolation was triggered by different cultures which students exposed in the new regions. The other findings which were realized on the research were as follows:

The academic environment

Many of the participants agreed that difficulty in adapting to new cultures was the primary cause of psychological problems to foreign students in Australian higher institute of learning. These cultures include difficulties in involving in the English language particularly by learners who are not used to speaking the language (Maclennan et al 2012, p. 86). At first, students are forced to learn the language before they think of developing techniques of studying. For instance, students from China were the most affected by the scenarios of psychological problems because they begin by learning basic terms in English before the ideal learning starts.

The practical tasks of everyday life

The everyday undertakings of foreign students in Australia are difficult since they are made to learn practical technics first. These are the skills which are required for them to interact well with their friends and tutors (Hallett et al 2012, p. 37). However, a big fraction fails to comprehend all the skills since they tend to be difficult to them. Moreover, some students end up hating a few of the Australian cultures which eventually affect their academic performance. To make the matter worse, many learners become depressed and hence developmental ailments in the long run.

Conclusion

Summarily, there is a necessity to provide guiding and counseling sessions to all the new students who are being enrolled to learn in Australia. During the orientation, institution’s management should provide a clear outline to these students so that they do not become confused during the study.  Although the world has allowed transparent exchange programs and scholarships to any country, learners should be allowed to attend their studies to institutions which they prefer (http://www.deewr. gov.au 2012, p. 10). The situation will help them to easily adapt to new environments and perform marvelously in both the curricular and co-curricular activities. All in all, the rate at which they develop psychological complications will reduce significantly.

References

Glass, C.R., and Braskamp, L.A. (2012). Foreign students and tolerance. Inside Higher Ed. Available from http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2012/ 10/26/essay-how-colleges-should-respond-racism-against-international-students

Hallett J, Howat PM, Maycock BR, McManus A, Kypri K, Dhaliwal SS (2012) Undergraduate student drinking and related harms at an Australian university: the web-based survey of a large random sample. BMC Public Health 12(37)

http://www.deewr. gov.au/HigherEducation/Publications/HEStatistics/Publications/Pag es/2010StudentFullYear.aspx. Accessed 28 July 2012

Maclennan B, Kypri K, Langley J, Room R (2012) Non-response bias in a community survey of drinking, alcohol-related experiences and public opinion on alcohol policy. Drug Alcohol Depend. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22677457. Accessed 6 June 2012

Meiklejohn J, Connor J, Kypri K (2012) The effect of low survey response rates on estimates of alcohol consumption in a general population survey. PLoS ONE 7(4):e35527

Torvik FA, Rognmo K, Tambs K (2012) Alcohol use and mental distress as predictors of non-response in a general population health survey: the HUNT study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47(5):805–816