Abstract
Mindfulness training has gained popularity in the scientific field and has been proposed as an efficient way for emotional regulation. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is designed especially for depressive people in reducing risk of depression relapse and is recommended in national guidelines as a treatment choice for relapse prevention in recurrent depression. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on depressive symptoms of international students and probe into the mediating role of mindfulness in stressful events and depression. In addition, we introduced a new kind of mindfulness training, the breathing exercise-based mindfulness training, which is based on the integration of Buddhism and Daoism. Self-report questionnaires assessing the coping style, abnormal depressive behavior, and stressful live events were completed in 260 international students in China (mean age = 21.4 years). The results showed that (1) many international students showed depression symptoms, (2) stressful life events play a completely mediating role in the initiation of depression and anxiety, and (3) mindfulness training for 8 weeks significantly reduced the depressive symptoms, and it was also related to a positive coping style. This study has certain theoretical significance in exploring the mechanism of the occurrence and development of depression among international students and provides useful tools for this special group of international students. In addition, the international students can also learn Chinese culture through the training. These findings indicate that mindfulness training and positive coping style are interrelated with treating depressive symptoms for international students.
Highlights
With the growing influence of Chinese education, the number of students studying in China continues to increase
The demographic characteristics of the international students in categorical variables are shown in Table 1. 97 students have come to China for less than one year, and 116 have come for more than one year
Previous studies have reported the relationship between homesickness and depression among international students [29]
Summary
With the growing influence of Chinese education, the number of students studying in China continues to increase. In 2017, China was already the destination for the largest population of overseas students in Asia [1]. Mental health problems of these international students caused by cultural shocks have gradually become the focus of education management. Studies have shown that there are many emotional problems among these students, such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression [2]. Depression is a worldwide emotional disorder that affects an individual’s adjustment to school [3, 4] and sometimes leads to self-harm or suicide. It is an important task to deal with the mental health of overseas students in China, to understand their depressive mood states, especially to explore the causes of their depression
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