Alshammary, Amna; (2025) Investigation into mental health of international students in the United Kingdom. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis aimed to understand common mental health disorders (CMDs), loneliness, help seeking and executive function (EF) among international students in the United Kingdom (UK). I conducted cross-sectional research to examine this through four studies. This thesis includes secondary data analysis on university student mental health (Chapter 3: n=2,027), data collection and analysis on CMDs and wider factors in Saudi Arabian (SA) international students (Chapter 4-5: n=137), and a qualitative investigation with a sub-sample of this group (Chapter 6: n=18). In chapter 3, I found no statistical evidence that overseas domicile was associated with CMDs. Although statistical tests were non-significant, adjustment for loneliness scores reflected higher CMDs in overseas groups. Overseas students were less likely to seek help from a mental health professional. In chapter 4, in my survey of SA students in the UK, I found SA international students reporting loneliness had higher CMDs scores and were less likely to seek help from a mental health professional. However, the odds of seeking help from a mental health professional between those with different levels of CMDs were similar. In chapter 5, SA international students with higher levels of CMDs had poorer inhibitory and attentional task accuracy scores. In chapter 6, qualitative evidence explored links between CMDs and wider factors in SA international students, describing CMDs symptoms, how they link to aspects of international student life, their impact on difficulties with executive function. I also provide evidence of common barriers to accessing support, and ways to improve university support services. These findings suggest that wider factors related to CMDs in SA international students, which may be important to improving international student experience, relating to possible links between CMDs and the following factors, which include loneliness, help-seeking behaviour and areas of executive function. Links between CMD symptoms and deficits to areas of executive function may have implications for both educational and mental health outcomes. Further research is needed to ensure that future support services are equipped to address the unmet needs identified by my findings.

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