Does going to university in a different country affect your mental health? A Japanese international university surveyed its students in 2018 and published a study the following year that was approved by several ethical and regulatory boards.
The study found that international students have a higher risk of mental health difficulties than the general population, and that social connectedness (belonging to a social group) and acculturative stress (stress associated with joining a new culture) are predictive of depression.
Explore the students data using PostgreSQL to find out if you would come to a similar conclusion for international students and see if the length of stay is a contributing factor.
Here is a data description of the columns you may find helpful.
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
inter_dom | Types of students (international or domestic) |
japanese_cate | Japanese language proficiency |
english_cate | English language proficiency |
academic | Current academic level (undergraduate or graduate) |
age | Current age of student |
stay | Current length of stay in years |
todep | Total score of depression (PHQ-9 test) |
tosc | Total score of social connectedness (SCS test) |
toas | Total score of acculturative stress (ASISS test) |
---Explore how the length of stay impacts the mental health of international students
SELECT stay,
COUNT(inter_dom) AS count_int,
ROUND(AVG(todep),2) AS average_phq,
ROUND(AVG(tosc),2) AS average_scs,
ROUND(AVG(toas),2) AS average_as
FROM students
WHERE inter_dom = 'Inter'
GROUP BY stay
ORDER BY stay DESC;Count of International Students (count_int): The count of international students decreases as the length of stay increases, which is expected as some students may return to their home countries after completing shorter programs. Average PHQ-9 Scores (average_phq): The average PHQ-9 scores (todep) appear to slightly increase initially from 7.48 for students with a stay of 1 year to 9.09 for students with a stay of 3 years, and then decrease to 13 for students with a stay of 10 years. This could suggest that mental health challenges may be more pronounced in the initial stages of transitioning to a new environment, improve slightly over time, and then potentially become more challenging again in the long term. Average SCS Scores (average_scs): The average SCS scores (tosc) show a fluctuating pattern, with a decrease from 38.11 for students with a stay of 1 year to 33.93 for students with a stay of 4 years, followed by an increase to 48 for students with a stay of 7 years, and then a slight decrease again. This fluctuation could indicate varying levels of self-compassion among international students at different stages of their stay. Average ASISS Scores (average_as): The average ASISS scores (toas) show a decreasing trend from 72.8 for students with a stay of 1 year to 50 for students with a stay of 10 years. This suggests that the perceived social support for international students may decrease over time, which could impact their mental well-being. Overall, these interpretations are based on the averages calculated from the provided data. However, it's essential to note that individual experiences and factors influencing mental health can vary significantly among international students, and further qualitative research or additional data analysis may be necessary to validate these observations and understand the underlying reasons for these trends.