TITLE:
Reforming Mental Health Support for International College Students in China: An Evidence-Based Perspective
AUTHORS:
Ying Guan, Teaway Angeline Patience, Kailiang Shen, Wenyi Lai, Emmanuel Nizeyimana, Ileana Kong Zhuo, Yuxin Li
KEYWORDS:
International College Students, SCL-90, Psychology, Education, Policy
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.16 No.6,
June
30,
2025
ABSTRACT: With the expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the number of international college students in China has increased significantly in recent years. These students often face cultural, academic, and linguistic challenges that may exacerbate psychological distress. Early screening and intervention are crucial; however, mental health support for international college students remains underdeveloped in Chinese higher education policy and research. This study employed a cross-sectional design to assess the mental health status of international college students in China using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), a validated psychological screening tool measuring nine symptom dimensions. Demographic and background data were collected to control for confounding variables, including age and duration of residence. Results indicate that the psychological status of international college students differed significantly from established Chinese college norms, U.S., and German norms across all nine SCL-90 dimensions. Strong positive correlations were observed among all symptom domains (r = 0.720 - 0.878, P