Factors impacting tertiary-level international students’ mental well-being

A systematic literature review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/dgdak347

Keywords:

international students, mental health, tertiary education

Abstract

International students constitute a substantial proportion of the global tertiary education population, yet the factors impacting their mental well-being remain fragmented across the literature. This systematic review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies to identify key factors that impact international students’ mental well-being and address research gaps. Using the PRISMA guidelines and the PICo tool, 86 studies were selected through a comprehensive search of eight databases. The findings indicate that more than 82% of the studies used quantitative methods and that more than 59% were conducted in English-speaking countries. Thematic analysis revealed nine interconnected factors impacting mental well-being: personal and psychological issues; sociocultural adjustment and acculturative stress; social support and belongingness; academic pressure; language and communication challenges; racism and xenophobia; visa policy-related stress; and housing and living conditions and financial pressure. Using an ecological framework, the results emphasize interactions among individual, relational, institutional, and structural determinants. This review underscores the need for longitudinal, mixed-methods research with greater geographic diversity to inform policy and practice.

Author Biographies

  • Mr. Ishwar Koirala, University of New England, Australia

    Ishwar is a PhD candidate at School of Science and Technology, University of New England. He completed Master of Philosophy from Kathmandu University, Nepal. He has hands-on experience on taking semi-structured interviews and analysing them. He has astonishing experience of over 15 years of teaching at various levels ranging from primary schools to undergraduate level in Nepal and from Certificate level to Graduate Diploma level in Australia. He has worked as a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor (for Australia) for five years (in Nepal and in Australia) and have had the opportunity to learn about and relate to international students’ wellbeing and study experiences in Australia.

  • Dr. Subrata Chakraborty, University of New England, Australia

    Dr Subrata Chakraborty is the HDR coordinator at University of New England. He is an Assoc. Professor with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education sector. He is skilled in research design, academic writing, data analysis, and quantitative research. He is a professional ICT educator with a PhD from Monash University. He has research focus on data analytics, machine learning, deep learning, Decision Support Systems, and Image Processing.

  • Dr. Prabal Datta Barua, University of Southern Queensland, Australia

    Dr. Prabal Datta Barua is a highly accomplished award-winning researcher, academic and educationist. He is a prolific author with over 100 publications in top-tier academic journals and has contributed as a guest editor in many international journals. He has secured over A$3M in government and industry research grants for conducing cutting-edge research in applying Artificial Intelligence in health informatics, education, education analytics and ICT for business transformation. His expertise has been instrumental in providing high-level input and commentary on many Australia and overseas universities’ educational strategic policy framework.

  • Dr. Mitchell Welch, University of New England, Australia

    Dr Mitchell has worked on a range of research projects focusing on data science, machine learning and high-performance computing. His PhD project focused on the development of an Agent-Based Models for the establishment and spread of invasive insects and their situated effects on Australia’s agricultural industries. This research has included the application of parallel processing technologies (including NVidia CUDA), data compression techniques and the integration of Geographical Information systems (GIS) to produce highly detailed agent-base simulations. Dr Mitchell has carried out research on the application of machine learning and analytical techniques to agricultural applications.

  • Dr. Biswajit Banik, Federation University, Australia

    Dr Biswajit is a senior lecturer at Federation University. He is also appointed as a research fellow on a mental health project led by University of New England. He is trained in quantitative and qualitative methodologies and has hands-on research experience on sensitive topics such as sexual health, mental health and rural and regional health involving priority populations. Currently, he is a lead investigator of two projects to explore the mental health and wellbeing of young African migrants (aged 18+) and men’s health in rural and regional Australia.

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Published

2026-03-07

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Vol. 16 No. 6 (2026): Journal of International Students

Section

Immigration Policies, Student Security, and Emerging Issues

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Copyright (c) 2026 Mr. Ishwar Koirala, Dr. Subrata Chakraborty, Dr. Prabal Datta Barua, Dr. Mitchell Welch, Dr. Biswajit Banik

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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How to Cite

Koirala, I., Subrata, C., Barua, P. D., Welch, M., & Banik, B. . (2026). Factors impacting tertiary-level international students’ mental well-being: A systematic literature review. Journal of International Students, 16(6), 107-132. https://doi.org/10.32674/dgdak347