Abstract
Drawing on the data from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council) sponsored project `Responding Effectively to the Mental Health Needs of Students,' this article describes the difficulties academic staff experience when responding to students with mental health problems. The views of academic staff are also recorded concerning what was helpful to them when considering these needs. This data is linked to research on working cross culturally with international students and set within a national framework. Research data is also accessed from focus groups which centred on the mental health needs of international and home students. Identical questions were posed to both groups students and similarities and differences recorded. International students voiced experience of a range of economic, social and academic pressures which appear to be different in degree and often in kind from those experienced by `home' students. These factors in extreme cases may trigger and/or exacerbate mental health problems. Whilst these findings are mainly qualitative, they have a resonance with and help illustrate existing research. Finally this paper considers the potential of academic staff, student groups and the policies of the institution of higher education to contribute to improvements of the welfare of international students.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berger, J. (1984). And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos. London: Writer & Readers.
Bradley, G. (1997). 'Home and away: Experiences of ERASMUS exchange students on social work programmes', Social Work in Europe 4(2), 35–41.
Bradley, G. and Harris, R. (1993). 'Social work in Europe: an ERASMUS initiative', Social Work Education 12(3), 51–66.
Carlton, E. (1994). 'Tough but tender line strikes a chord', Times Higher Education Supplement 30/9/94, vi.
Church, A. (1982). 'Sojourner adjustment', Psychological Bulletin 91, 540–572.
Cortazzi, M. and Jin, L. (1997). 'Communication for learning across cultures', in McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 76–90.
CVCP (1995). Economic Impact of International Students in UK Higher Education. London: CVCP.
Dearing, R. (1997). Higher Education in the Learning Society: Report of the National Inquiry into Higher Education. London: HMSO.
Featherstone, M. (1995). Undoing Culture: Globalization, Postmoderism and History. London: Sage.
Fernandez, M. (1988). 'Issues in counselling Southeast Asian students', Journal of Multicultural Counselling and Development 16, 157–166.
Furnham, A. (1997). 'The experience of being an overseas student', in McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 13–29.
Furnham, A. and Alibhai, N. (1985). 'The friendship network of foreign students', International Journal of Psychology 20, 709–722.
Furnham, A. and Bochner, S. (1986). Culture Shock. London: Methuen.
Hall, S. (1993). 'Culture, community, nation'. Culture Studies 7(3), 349–363.
Harris, R. (1997). 'Overseas students in the United Kingdom university system: a perspective from social work', in McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 30–45.
Higher Education Statistics Agency (1997). Students in Higher Education Institutions. Cheltenham: HESA.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work Related Values. Beverley Hills: Sage Publications.
Howarth, A. (1991). 'Overseas students in the UK: the Government's position' (Conservative party perspective), Journal of International Education 2(1), 9–18.
Hughes, S. and Read, K. (1991). 'From subsidy to scholarship: A retrograde step' (Liberal Democrat party perspective), Journal of International Education 2(1), 29–43.
Kember, D. and Gow, L. (1991). 'A challenge to the anecdotal stereotype of the Asian Student', Studies in Higher Education 16, 117–128.
Kinnell, M. (ed.) (1990). The Learning Experiences of Overseas Students. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
Lago, C. (1992). 'Some complexities in counselling international students', Journal of International Education 3(1), 21–34.
Macrae, M. (1997). 'The induction of international students to academic life in the United Kingdom', in McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 127–142.
McKinley, N. and Stevenson, J. (1994). 'A re-evaluation of cultural orientation', Journal of International Education 5(3), 7–19.
McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.) (1997). Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge.
Manthorpe, J. and Stanley, N. (1999). 'Dilemmas in professional education: Responding effectively to students with mental health problems', Journal of Interprofessional Care 13(4), 355–365.
Mohamed, O. (1997). 'Counselling for excellence: adjustment development of South-East Asian students', in McNamara, D. and Harris, R. (eds.), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 142–155.
Okorocha, E. (1998a). Cultural Issues in Working with International Students. A private collection of papers and extracts from research findings.
Okorocha, E. (1998b). Counselling International Students. A summary of the findings of a research survey on counselling international students in UK Higher Education.
Pedersen, P. (1997). 'The up-side of culture: Positive consequences of cross-cultural encounters', Journal of International Education 8(1), 22–27.
Pedersen, P., Draguns, J., Lonner, W. and Trimble, J. (ed.) (1996). Counselling Across Cultures, 4th edition. London: Sage Publications.
Phippen, M. (1995). 'The 1993/4 survey of counselling services in further and higher education', Newsletter, Association for Student Counselling, November, pp. 25-36.
Rapport, N. (1994). 'Busted for hash: Common catchwords and individual identities in a Canadian city', in Amit-Talai, V. and Lustiger-Thaler, H. (eds.), Urban Lives. Fragmentation and Resistance. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
Rapport, N. and Dawson, A. (eds.) (1998). Migrants of Identity. Oxford: Berg.
Robertson, R. (1992). Globalisation, Social Theory and Global Culture. London: Sage.
Rogers, C. and Smith, C. (1992). 'Identifying the needs of overseas students: a monitoring exercise at the University of Southampton', Journal of International Education 3(3), 7–25.
Smith, A. (1991). 'Overseas students in UK education' (Labour party perspective), Journal of International Education 2(2), 19–27.
Sue, D. and Sue, D.W. (1997). 'Barriers to effective cross-cultural counselling', Journal of Counseling Psychology 24(5), 420–429.
Teichler, U. and Maiworm, F. (1988). Transition to Work, London: Jessica Kingsley.
Wehrly, B. (1988). 'Cultural diversity from an international perspective', part 2, Journal of Multicultural Counselling and Development 16, 3–15.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bradley, G. Responding effectively to the mental health needs of international students. Higher Education 39, 417–433 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003938714191
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003938714191