2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Background: The increasing prevalence of mental health issues among college students, particularly international engineering students, has become a growing concern. While previous studies have explored factors contributing to mental health issues among college students, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding international undergraduates in engineering. International students, with their different beliefs, values, and expectations related to mental health, may have different coping strategies, help-seeking preferences, and service utilization patterns. Among various factors, religiosity may influence their approach to coping, seeking assistance, and utilizing services. With this in mind, this study investigates the impact of religiosity on the mental health, help-seeking behavior, and service utilization of international undergraduate engineering students in the United States.
Purpose/Hypothesis: This study explores the relationship between religiosity and service utilization among college students, with a particular focus on international undergraduate engineering students in the US. It seeks to answer several research questions: 1) What is the prevalence of mental health conditions and help-seeking among international students? 2) Are there gender differences in help-seeking among international college students? 3) How do help-seeking (formal and informal) issues vary among students with different levels of religiosity?
Design/Method: To address these questions, the study uses a logistic regression model to analyze data from engineering undergraduate students participating in the Healthy Minds Study (HMS) for 2021-2022. The study considers help-seeking and service utilization as dependent variables and examines how they relate to religiosity while controlling for certain demographic characteristics.
Findings: We found that only 15.61 % of the international students in our sample were diagnosed with a mental health condition. Of them, women were twice as likely to screen positive for mental health concerns than their counterparts. Logistic regression models found that students with high religiosity are less likely to seek formal and informal help. Controlling for gender reveals that women with high religiosity are more likely to utilize informal and professional mental health services compared to men.
Conclusions/Implications: The findings of this study suggest potential avenues for supporting international students' mental health. One key implication is the exploration of incorporating spiritual and religious practices, as this approach may provide valuable support to international students who may draw strength from their religious beliefs. Moreover, there is potential for collaboration between higher education institutions and local religious organizations to enhance the support and resources available to international students.