Thousands of cases go unreported at Cardiff University as students face setbacks due to multiple barriers challenging access for help
Sixty two percent of international students studying at Cardiff University are among the least likely not to report challenges affected by mental health.
Potentially 4,000 students are at risk as language, culture and struggling to adjust are leading factors why most students avoid reaching out for help from the university.
“When students come to a new environment, they feel very helpless. Mental health problems can leave you feeling very helpless and very lonely… which may also affect your studies.” said Yueyang, a PhD business student at Cardiff University.
“So many of us are dealing with mental health problems, we just don’t know how to seek help or who to talk to.”
Numerous factors contribute to international students’ mental health challenges. Cardiff University’s Doctoral Academy discovered that concerns about international students’ well-being were strongly related to housing/accommodation, finances, cultural and academic adaptation, as well as a lack of community support sessions on adjusting to life in Wales and opportunities to participate in local life.
According to Lasith Dissanayake, a PhD researcher at South Wales University who specialises in international students in Wales, he said, ” We have to look into mental health literacy… and the barriers to reach well-being services such as language, culture, stigma related to mental health.”
Student Minds, a UK mental health charity conducted a report for the Senedd looked into some of the challenges, revealed that there is a higher frequency of mental health difficulties among international students, and they are less inclined to reveal these issues.
However, those who have attempted to use these services have criticised the Student Union for requiring students to wait for lengthy periods of time when seeking mental health care.
“I went to them (student counselling) as everyone was recommending it after my friend committed suicide back in India.” said Aparna a MA student in International Journalism at Cardiff University. “They reached out to conduct some counselling via zoom and asked if I had experienced those type of feelings myself, I told them no, but I’m greatly affected by my friend’s death and would like some type of help.
“I honestly believed as they reached out to me, I would receive some type of counselling instantly, so I was really shocked when they said I will have to wait between seven to eight weeks before I could see someone. It was too long of a wait so I had to look elsewhere.”
Despite the University’s and Students Unions’ best attempts to promote mental health services, some students have complained about the difficulties they have in finding and understanding information.
Students’ lack of information and awareness of mental health support is also an issue. “I think there are several reasons we don’t seek help… we don’t know how to seek help and we don’t know which agency we should go to and which kind of process we should take.” said Yueyang.
Samia a MA international creative writing student at Cardiff University said, “I don’t believe that support is properly advertised. I’m not aware of the resources accessible to me as a self-funded student.”
The Doctoral Academy conducted a student-led study of Cardiff University’s service, which highlighted a broadly comparable set of difficulties and constraints for international PhD students. One participant said, “Everything given currently by Cardiff is incredibly undergraduate focused… and even then, still sort of terrible.”