Stress, Coping, and Adjustment of International Students during COVID-19: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused unexpected and unprecedented disruptions worldwide. University students, especially international students, underwent unique challenges during this volatile era. This secondary quantitative data analysis study aimed to investigate the experiences, stress, adjustment, and ways of coping of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 112 international university students and 112 domestic American university students were included in the statistical analyses. The differences in Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS), COVID-19-related questionnaire, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) between international and domestic students were analyzed using independent samples t-tests. Multiple regression models predicting PSS by SACQ, WAYS, and COVID-19-related questionnaire subscales were estimated for international and domestic students separately. The results showed that international students and American students did not report significant differences in their university adjustment, usage of coping strategy, and perceived stress level during the peak of the pandemic. Additionally, American students reported more factors impacting their perceived stress than international students. Implications of the findings as well as limitations and future directions were discussed.