International Students and Stress

International Students and Stress
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In the 21st century, more opportunities for studying abroad have been created being an advantage to the youths who desire to study in foreign countries (Toews, 2020). This has been spurred by the increased globalization and need for technical improvement as the current age of technology progresses. The idea of going to a foreign country fills the students with a lot of excitement and high expectations of how life would be away from home (Toews, 2020). Many people, especially in the developing countries, believe that studying abroad creates higher opportunities of having a great future. For a good number of foreign students, the experience of studying abroad has been a positive one. International students experience a lot of effects in foreign countries, such as anxiety, loneliness, stress and prejudice. The literature examines and evaluates the possible causes and effects of stress among international students.
It is necessary to comprehend that while abroad, students experience numerous life changes that may become potential stressors. Language is a huge issue for international students. Usually, students, particularly from non-English speaking countries, find it challenging to communicate with English speaking students (Duke & Bouyer, 2014). They are also likely to experience difficulties when writing assignments, comprehending lectures and taking examinations. Moreover, international students may experience barriers when making new friends and interacting with the local people; this hinders interpersonal relations and would also lower self-esteem and cause loneliness. With time however, some of the challenges posed by language barrier can be effectively eliminated. Students are therefore required to note various stressors that they may encounter, effective coping strategies that they may apply and the social support available for international students in their respective universities.
Besides, stress among international students would also be facilitated by educational challenges. According to Smith and Khawaja, (2011), although academic stress is common among all university students, the effects may be more among foreign students and this is attributed to second language anxiety and challenging adapting to the new educational environment. Also, foreign students may experience stress which is facilitated by unrealistic academic performance goals set by their families and sponsors (Duke & Bouyer, 2014). However, it is quite common to have experienced stress and loneliness while pursuing studies abroad. Higher learning institutions in many foreign countries have a duty to make sure that the students have a comfortable stay as they live abroad because it will help them achieve their goals in academics (Gorter et al., 2008). In a nutshell, there is need to address the pressure points of students within the academic or classroom setup, so as to know how to release it.
Sociocultural factors would also facilitate stress among the foreign learners. Duke and Bouyer (2014) note that most often, personality traits and attachment style may have a huge impact on determining a student’s ability to establish relationships. Looking at it from a different perspectiv...