Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Abstract

Jennifer Cosby

MEASURING HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

2016-2017

Ed.D. in P20 and Community Leadership

Years of research focused on the physical and mental well-being of college students to promote retention. In 2013, international students numbered 819,644 and contributed $27 billion to the United States economy (Le, LaCost, & Wismer, 2016). International students are a valuable resource to the United States because they enhance the cultural diversity of the nation, bring creativity and innovation to institutions, and contribute greatly to the economy (Leong, 2015). Many studies have shown that international students report lower quality of life than domestic students (Chai, Shepherd, & Billington, 2010); however, there is no existing assessment to assess the health and wellness needs of this specific population. The purpose of this study was to administer and create a robust psychometric measure to identify factors to address the needs of international students in the areas of health and well-being.

The hypothesis of this study predicted the factor analysis of responses to the Health and Wellness Assessment of International Students (HWAIS) will yield two factors: stress and quality of life. The hypothesis was partially supported. Three actual factors were extracted but two factors could be termed into two groups of stressors. In conclusion, the results support that the HWAIS will yield three factors: Quality of Life, Campus Stressors, and Personal Stressors. Using this survey, international students can be screened to see which factors need campus intervention to improve quality of life and decrease stressors.


Year manuscript completed

2017

Year degree awarded

2017

Author's Keywords

international students; acculturation; quality of life; stressors

Dissertation Committee Chair

Samir Patel

Committee Member

Alan Bakes

Committee Member

Jacqueline Hansen

Document Type

Dissertation

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