Med J Malaysia. 2026 Jul;81(4):489-496.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In recent years, there has been an exponential rise in students inbound to Malaysia to pursue their postgraduate studies. In particular, Chinese international postgraduate students (CIPS) represent a rapidly growing student population in this country, which is postulated to lead to substantial psychological distress resulting from academic, cultural, and financial adjustments that are required of the students immersing themselves in a new environment. Nevertheless, quantitative evidence regarding depression, anxiety, and stress among CIPS in Malaysian public universities remains limited.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 347 Chinese international postgraduate students at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) using mixedmode convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic variables, stressors, stress-relieving activities, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). For the statistical analysis, we performed descriptive statistics, group comparisons, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical regression analyses.
RESULTS: The prevalence of mild-to-extremely severe symptoms was 61.1% for depression, 67.1% for anxiety, and 56.2% for stress. Psychological distress was significantly associated with perceived discrimination, financial concerns, poorer self-rated health, and depression history. In the final hierarchical regression model, perceived discrimination emerged as the strongest predictor of distress (β = .270, p < .001). Furthermore, financial concerns, poorer self-rated health, and participation in artistic activities such as calligraphy classes were also positively associated with increasing DASS-21 scores, whereas positive future outlook scores showed a negative association. The final model explained 53.1% of the variance in psychological distress.
CONCLUSION: Psychological distress among CIPS at UPM was substantial and appeared to be strongly related to acculturative stress and resource-related pressures. A proposed model to overcome this should include universitydriven, culturally responsive mental health services, antidiscrimination support, and financial and academic assistance to ensure the successful onboarding and orientation of international postgraduate students.
PMID:42584437
