INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS:

Understanding Causes And Engaging In Prevention

Wayne Myles (Chair) and Dr. Mike CondraCBIE St. John’s, Nfld

November 2, 2008

Increased international student numbers Increased partnerships Increased exchanges

Internationalization means

Between 1996 and 2006 international student numbers on Canadian campuses rose from 25,500 to 83,000

National Statistics

AUCC. Canadian universities and international student mobility. 2007.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FLOWS

8%

46%

5%

1%

20%

3%

2%

15%

AfricaAsiaCaribbeanC. AmericaEuropeOceaniaS. AmericaUSA

AUCC. Canadian universities and international student mobility. 2007.

92% of institutions surveyed said they recruit international students to promote internationalization and greater diversity on campus.

Why recruit international students?

47% said “yes” 17% said “being developed” 37% said “no”

Do the same institutions have programs to ensure international student success?

AUCC. Canadian universities and international student mobility. 2007.

Mobility means increased stress with

complications in logistics (visas, travel and settling in)

a percentage of students who fall outside the usual university/college schedules

students who are tired and disoriented

students whose English is unfamiliar

Students in transition

Institutions with systems that disadvantage international students due to different academic cultures strict timelines unfamiliar procedures and protocols legislated formats

Internationalization can also mean

The "system" is built on the assumptions for delivering services to domestic students.

When international students run into difficulty, the institution, in effect, "bumps into" the inapplicability of some of its assumptions in the case of international students.

Why?