Anxiety and Depression among U.S. International Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted college students worldwide. International students are a significant group of college students in the United States, making up approximately 5% of enrollment. While research has examined the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students, its impact on international students in the U.S. has not been well-documented. This study examined anxiety and depression levels of 170 international students enrolled in three public U.S. universities. Data were collected using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) survey and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Over 60% of the sample reported anxiety and depressive symptoms, with 35.1% showing moderate-to-severe anxiety and 32.9% moderate-to-severe depression. Both anxiety and depression were significantly higher among students with a previous history of mental health illness and those with a colleague who contracted COVID-19. In addition, depression was significantly higher for unmarried students. In addition to these significant differences, the prevalence of moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety levels was observed for female students and unmarried or had a family member who contracted the virus. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, international students, mental health, anxiety, depression, GAD-7, PHQ-9