Evaluating the mental health of international students in the U.S.
during the COVID-19 outbreak: The case of University of Florida
Abstract
Aims: During the COVID-19 outbreak, international students in the U.S.
were informed that they would be deported to their home countries if
enrolled in fully online programs. Although this proclamation was soon
altered to permit students to continue learning online without fear of
being deported, it spread a wave of stress and anxiety among
international students all over the U.S. We aim to capture the emotional
challenges and hardships faced by international students due to the
changes in U.S. visa regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional online survey using previously validated
questionnaire tools (PHQ-9 and GAD-7), and we received 165 complete
responses from international students at University of Florida (UF). The
collected data was quantitatively analyzed through ANOVA, Independent
Sample t-Test, and Binary Logistic Regression. Results: Our findings
provided insights into one main research question: “How did the changes
in student visa regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak affect the
anxiety and depression levels among international students at UF?” A
total of 18.8% (n= 31) of our study sample had a depression score of
(15 and above) on the PHQ-9 scale, which is interpreted as moderately
severe to severe depressive status. A similar proportion (20.6%; n= 34)
scored (15 and above) on the GAD-7 scale, and was symptomatically
diagnosed as having severe anxiety. There was also a statistically
significant difference in the means depression and anxiety scores based
on gender, where males showed lower scores compared to any other
demographic group. Conclusion: Our findings show that international
students were affected psychologically due to changes in U.S. visa
regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this study
addressed the importance of taking serious measures when emotionally
impactful political issues arise in order to prevent the development of
mental illnesses among international students at institutions of higher
education.