Scoping review maps first-year international students’ mental health

A scoping review of 27 studies has mapped the mental health concerns, well-being experiences and associated factors reported among first-year international students in higher education. The synthesis identified nine mental health concerns, including depression, and three well-being experiences, including general well-being. Thirty-one associated factors were also reported, with negative, positive and inconsistent relationships observed in the available studies.

International students can face a range of challenges while adapting to life abroad, including separation from familiar support networks, academic pressures, and cultural and linguistic adjustment. The first year of higher education was the focus of the review because experiences during this period can influence long-term well-being and academic success. The authors aimed to map existing research and identify factors associated with students’ mental health and well-being experiences.

The researchers followed scoping-review methodology from the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported the work according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, incorporating recommendations from Levac and colleagues. Searches covered four electronic databases—MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL—as well as the reference lists of included studies. Screening and data extraction were conducted in Covidence.

Descriptive statistics were used to summarize study and student characteristics, as well as the reported outcomes. Associated factors were synthesized through content analysis. This approach allowed the researchers to bring together the findings of studies focused specifically on first-year international students without reducing the evidence to one pooled effect estimate.

The results included nine mental health concerns and three categories of well-being experience. Depression was among the concerns named in the review, while general well-being was among the well-being experiences reported. The studies also identified 31 factors associated with these outcomes.

Host language difficulties were among the factors examined, linking one aspect of the transition to higher education with students’ reported experiences. The direction of the reported relationships was not uniform. The review recorded negative, positive and inconsistent associations between the associated factors and mental health or well-being outcomes.

As a scoping review, the work therefore describes patterns in the evidence rather than demonstrating that any one factor causes a particular outcome. It also does not establish that the same factors affect all first-year international students in the same way. The review’s findings point to areas where the evidence base remains incomplete.

The authors specifically identify studies aimed at developing evidence-based support strategies as an important direction for future research. Overall, the review provides a structured overview of what has been studied about the mental health and well-being of first-year international students. By focusing on this population and stage of higher education, it identifies nine concerns, three well-being experiences and 31 associated factors, while showing why the relationships among them remain complex.

Subject of Research: Scoping review of mental health and associated factors among first-year international students in higher education

Article Title: Mental health experiences and associated factors among first-year international students in higher education: a scoping review

Article References: Rudakova, K., Khalili, A., & Lal, S. (2026). Mental health experiences and associated factors among first-year international students in higher education: a scoping review. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05206-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05206-w

Keywords: international students, first-year students, higher education, mental health, well-being, depression, scoping review, language difficulties, academic pressure, student adaptation, Mental, health