International students’ mental health is big business
“Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are at a greater risk of experiencing mental health issues”
We can all agree that Covid has tested those with even the most robust mental health, let alone international students and visitors who were cut off from returning to their home countries.
The same goes for students and visitors who quickly returned home to be with family before the borders shut and could not return to their life in Australia. Both cohorts have had their mental fortitude tested during this unprecedented period.
Whether it manifested in financial stress, grief, loss, or just the trauma of going through a pandemic isolated from their support system, there’s no doubt that the reality of coming to study in Australia was vastly different to the dream they were once sold. Especially when students were learning online in their bedrooms in India, Nepal or elsewhere and not in Australia at all living the life they imagined.
One in four young people in Australia will experience mental health issues each year. Importantly, students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are at an even greater risk. Moreover, more than one in four university students experience high-stress levels that negatively impact their studies, relationships, and daily lives.