By Bolanle Oyesile M.A

International students represent a significant, distinct, and increasing student population in many colleges and universities in the United States. Research has indicated that while they bring diversity to college campuses and the community around them and in exchange acquire a degree in higher education, their temporary immigration status exposes them to many challenges including experiencing acculturative stress in response to adjusting to their host country. Due to my struggles as an international student, I found it imperative to explore the connection that exists between acculturative stress and its predisposition to mental health disorders. When an international student relocates to the United States, the majority of the time, they are unaware of the challenges that lie ahead. In my case, I was unfamiliar with not only the culture but also the process of transitioning and adapting into society in all aspects. Through my research, there is enough evidence to conclude that acculturative stress significantly impacts the sociocultural well-being of international students. These difficulties are evident in the areas of culture shock, language barriers, academic stressors, and lack of social support system.

In addition, the critiqued literature suggested that perceived prejudice and discrimination are predictors of mental health in this population of students. While research acknowledges psychological and emotional difficulties, I believe it is not enough to broadly categorize them without knowing exactly what those challenges are in relation to specific mental health disorders. What specific mental health disorders do international students experience? How do these disorders present or manifest across several cultures? For instance, as a Nigerian, the concept of mental health is quite different from the Western perspective. Growing up in a society where mental health “is not a thing”, it wasn’t a surprise that it did not occur to me that I was going through depression when I did even though I have been a psychology major all through my tertiary education. I attributed my low mood, loss of appetite, feelings of hopelessness, and anhedonia, to being stressed from graduate school demands when in fact I was overwhelmed by the transitioning process into a new culture without adequate familial and social support to help navigate through the system.  Not only did I have to deal with acculturation and culture shock, but like other international students, I had to discover the psychological difficulties associated with the process on my own. I began to realize that this is not a conversation people have with you before and after moving to the United States for studies. Prior to migrating, I was aware of the culture shock and changes in academic structure, but no one informed me about how these stressors can take a toll on my mental health and what to do if and when it happens. 

Given the above, the impact of acculturative stress on an individual’s mental health cannot be overemphasized. I am one out of millions of other international students who come from various parts of the world with varying degrees of cultural perspective to the idea of mental health. Although underrepresented within the American society, international students are contributing members not only to the U.S. culture but to the economy as well as they generate billions of dollars every year. Within the state of Minnesota, we have a lot of universities around us that admit international students from all over the world. This means that we are likely to encounter them in clinical settings and if this happens, how do we approach their mental health needs if we are unaware of how they experience psychological difficulties? Therefore, I propose that further investigation is required to better understand the relationship between acculturation and mental health and the extent to which psychological distress presents, manifests, and is interpreted among international students. Furthermore, while international students may share similar experiences, it is important to recognize their cultural differences. As such, it is vital for prospective studies to take a multidimensional approach to cultural adaptation and psychological distress, as individuals adapt in different ways, and acculturation may differ not only by geographical location but also by country of origin.

In conclusion, the critiqued literature provides evidence to support the notion that several acculturation factors play a role in the transitioning of international students into American society. In particular, social, academic, and language stressors are strong predictive factors of acculturative stress in this population of students. Acculturation was also associated with the mental health and well-being of international students however, the degree to which psychological distress impacts them is unknown. As such, understanding acculturation through the lens of mental health among these students requires a complex and dynamic understanding of individual cultures and geographical regions.

Bolanle Oyesile M.A

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student (PsyD)

Department of Psychology

Augsburg University, Minneapolis

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