The Psychological and Academic Effects of Studying From the Home and Host Country During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: This study explored the psychological and academic effects of studying online from the home vis-à-vis host country during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the experience of international students at the University of Warsaw, Poland.Methods: A total of 357 international students from 62 countries (236 in the host country and 121 in the home country) completed an online questionnaire survey 2 months after transition to online learning. We studied students' levels of loneliness, life and academic satisfaction, acculturative stress, academic adjustment, performance, loyalty, and perceptions of the online learning experience.Results: The country-of-residence variable had no statistically significant effects on most psychological and academic variables. Significant effects were observed only for two academic variables. Specifically, students who returned to the home country found online communication with other students more contributing to their online learning experience and exhibited higher academic adjustment than students who remained in the host country. This suggests the positive influence of (peer and familial) support on online learning experience from the home country. Furthermore, a significant difference in experiencing acculturative stress occurred for students in quarantine/self-isolation in the host country, which expands prior literature on the disruptive effects of social distancing on students' mental health. Finally, this study confirmed the expected increased levels of loneliness among self-isolating students in both countries, hence extending prior results to the home- and host-country contexts. No relationship between self-isolation and students' life or academic satisfaction was found, which is explained by the specific nature of the learning-from-home experience.

The Impact of Demographics, Life and Work Circumstances on College and University Instructors’ Well-Being During Quaranteaching

“…In a questionnaire probing the mental health of medical college students, Cao et al (2020) found that risk factors increasing anxiety were economic consequences as well as having relatives or acquaintances infected with SARS-CoV-2, while social support, living with parents, and family income stability were protective factors. Similar results were obtained by Wilczewski et al (2021), whose investigation of the psychological and academic effects of learning online among international students enrolled at the University of Warsaw revealed that those who had returned to their home countries (and therefore likely had familial support) exhibited higher academic adjustment, while quarantine and self-isolation increased the levels of lonelinessand acculturative stress when in the host country. Amendola et al (2021) study carried out among students in Switzerland showed that anxiety symptoms decreased with time, and its levels were predicted by older age, female gender, out-of-country nationality, loneliness, concerns about own health (positively), and resilience and social support (negatively).…”

Psychological Outcomes and Associated Factors Among the International Students Living in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The cutoff points for a case finding are 10 for depression, 8 for anxiety, and 15 for stress. The depression subscale consists of items 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 17, and 21 with scores ranging from normal (0-9), mild (10)(11)(12)(13), moderate (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20), severe (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), to extremely severe (28+). The anxiety subscale consists of items 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19, and 20, with scores ranging from normal (0-7), mild (8)(9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), to extremely severe (20+).…”

“…The depression subscale consists of items 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 17, and 21 with scores ranging from normal (0-9), mild (10)(11)(12)(13), moderate (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20), severe (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), to extremely severe (28+). The anxiety subscale consists of items 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19, and 20, with scores ranging from normal (0-7), mild (8)(9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), to extremely severe (20+). Finally, the stress subscale consists of items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, and 18, with scores ranging from normal (0-14), mild (15)(16)(17)(18), moderate (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), severe (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)…”

“…At present, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the magnitude of psychological outcomes and associated factors by using standardized rating scales among the international students living in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Not only during the COVID-19 outbreak but also during previous bio-disasters that there had been less information about the mental health status among international students around the world (18)(19)(20). Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the psychological outcomes among international students who remained in China during the COVID-19 epidemic period by quantifying the magnitude of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, psychological distress, loneliness, and fear by analyzing potential risk factors associated with these symptoms.…”

Teachers' Perception of Student Coping With Emergency Remote Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Relative Impact of Educator Demographics and Professional Adaptation and Adjustment

“…Li et al (2020) assessed the impact of the outbreak on stress, poor mental health, and poor sleep quality symptoms among college students in Guangdong. Wilczewski et al (2021) investigated the psychological and academic effects of learning online among international students enrolled at the University of Warsaw. Alemany-Arrebola et al (2020) analyzed the impact of trait-and state-anxiety on university students' perception of academic selfefficacy in Spain.…”