Social support for international students who faced emotional challenges midst Wuhan's 76-day lockdown during early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study is a phenomenological investigation of the emotional challenges of international students experiencing the 76-day lockdown in Wuhan during the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. This study employed the psychological concepts of stress, fear, and uncertainty to understand international students' risk factors and psychological symptoms during the Wuhan lockdown. Hence, this research assessed a) the emotional challenges associated with the lockdown and b) major sources to cope with emotional challenges. The overarching scholarly conversations are about diverse forms of emotional distress, such as stress and anxiety about their physical health and the social support from various sources at host universities and local communities, including students, teachers, administrators, and the students' respective embassies. Overall, the current study has theoretical and practical implications and offers a guideline for administrative practice in international higher education and international student migration.

The ‘Myth of Zero-COVID’ Nation: A Digital Ethnography of Expats’ Survival Amid Shanghai Lockdown during the Omicron Variant Outbreak

“…Emotional challenges are defined as traumatic psychological symptoms that include stress, confusion, frustration, depression, and the feeling of loss. Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, numerous individuals worldwide have been facing diverse forms of emotional challenges [ 13 , 16 , 17 ]. A growing body of literature has explored the emotional challenges faced by people under COVID-19 lockdowns.…”

“…For example, the long-term lockdown significantly impacted Wuhan residents’ emotions and empathy, creating anxiety about physical and mental health. The most severe traumatic incidences and risk factors were lack of necessities such as food, drink, and medical supplies (e.g., mask and emergency medicine) [ 13 ]. Another growing concern was the limited number of medical staff could not cope with the rapidly growing case rate.…”

“…Another growing concern was the limited number of medical staff could not cope with the rapidly growing case rate. Phobia and stigmatization of Wuhan residents were also persistent concerns as the city had the most infections (67,733 out of 80,955) in the country [ 13 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…Their symptoms consisted of homesickness, stress, anxiety, and fear. Although they received social and emotional support from school administrators, embassies, and locals, they testified that they still had long-traumatic symptoms [ 13 ]. Finally, the other studies explored the initial nationwide lockdown experiences of international faculty in Shanghai and graduate student researchers in Beijing with which the timeframe when Wuhan residents were in a long-term lockdown.…”

“…Although there is a growing body of literature addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the human ecological system as well as recent global public media coverage of the current Shanghai lockdown under the ‘Zero-COVID’ policy in China, scholars and journalists have paid scant attention to the lived experiences of residents, including expats, in the locked down city. At this point, it is significant to recognize that “explicit cross-cultural adaptation is already stressful and continues onward to contemplate how emotional factors interact with psychological trauma during the pandemic” and address how members of host nations could reduce cultural conflicts and promote social and emotional wellbeing for expats by establishing potential coping mechanisms [ 13 ].…”