Abstract
International students form a significant proportion of students studying within universities in Western countries. The quality of life perceptions of international medical students in comparison with domestic medical students has not been well documented. There is some evidence to suggest that international medical students may have different educational and social experiences in relation to their domestic peers. This study investigates the levels of quality of life experienced by international and domestic students studying medicine. A total of 548 medical students completed the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. The focus of the analysis was to evaluate differences between international and domestic students in their early clinical years. The responses were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance methods. International medical students are experiencing lower social and environmental quality of life compared with domestic peers. International medical students in New Zealand have expressed quality of life concerns, which likely have an impact on their academic achievement, feelings of wellness, acculturation, and social adaptation. The findings reinforce the need for creating stronger social networks and accessible accommodation, as well as developing systems to ensure safety, peer mentorship and student support.
Highlights
The increased globalization of education has enabled the development of an educational industry in New Zealand [1] and overseas [2]
A precursor multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed no differences between year 4 and 5 students’ Quality of life (QoL) domain scores; this variable was not included in the subsequent multivariate analyses
The findings from this study showed that domestic students rated their social and environmental QoL higher than international students
Summary
The increased globalization of education has enabled the development of an educational industry in New Zealand [1] and overseas [2]. Provision of education to international students is a profitable business enterprise with over 93,000 foreign paying students studying in New Zealand in 2009, contributing to financial gains for the country in the vicinity of 2 billion New Zealand dollars per annum [1]. Contingent on their visa status, students are classified as either domestic or international students (foreign fee-paying students). QoL has been defined by the World Health Organization working group as: ‘individuals’ perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns’ The WHOQOL-BREF has been systematically appraised across numerous cultural groupings [6, 7] and was considered to be suitable for the medical student group [8]
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