Depression, Acculturative Stress, and Social Connectedness among International University Students in Japan: A Statistical Investigation

Minh Nguyen,Serik Meirmanov,Tam Le

doi:10.3390/su11030878

Abstract

(1) This study aims to examine the prevalence of depression and its correlation with Acculturative Stress and Social Connectedness among domestic and international students in an international university in Japan. (2) Methods: A Web-based survey was distributed among several classes of students of the university, which yielded 268 responses. On the survey, a nine-item tool from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) and Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) were used together with socio-demographic data. (3) Results: The prevalence of depression was higher among international than domestic students (37.81% and 29.85%, respectively). English language proficiency and student age (20 years old) showed a significant correlation with depression among domestic students (β = −1.63, p = 0.038 and β = 2.24, p = 0.048). Stay length (third year) also displayed a significant correlation with depression among international students (β = 1.08, p = 0.032). Among international and domestic students, a statistically significant positive correlation between depression and acculturative stress, and negative associations of social connectedness with depression and acculturative stress were also found. (4) Conclusions: The high prevalence of depression, and its association with Acculturation stress and Social Connectedness, among the students in this study highlight the importance of implementing support programs which consider the role of Acculturation and Social Connectedness.

Highlights

The rapid spread of globalization has made countries worldwide increasingly interconnected in many aspects, including in education
According to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, 37.81% of international students and 29.85% of domestic students were found to be positive with depression
By collecting questionnaires from both domestic and international students at Asia Pacific University (APU), the current study presents a primary investigation on depression, social connectedness, and acculturative stress in a multicultural environment

Summary

Introduction

The rapid spread of globalization has made countries worldwide increasingly interconnected in many aspects, including in education. The number of globally mobile students increased by 25.3% from 2012 to 2017 [1]. Understanding the mental health condition among international students will help sustain the development of the social public health system, especially in countries with a high number of international students. Depressive disorder is a major public health concern which affects 322 million people globally. In 2015, global depression prevalence was 4.4%. Together with HIV/AIDS and heart disease, depression was projected to be one of the three leading causes of burden of disease until 2030 [2]. Depression can lead to suicide—the second leading cause of death for people aged 15–29 [3]

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