In dit onderzoek werd het verschil in stress onderzocht tussen Nederlandse en internationale studenten van de Universiteit Leiden en of eenzaamheid een mediator is in de relatie tussen...Show moreIn dit onderzoek werd het verschil in stress onderzocht tussen Nederlandse en internationale studenten van de Universiteit Leiden en of eenzaamheid een mediator is in de relatie tussen nationaliteit en stress. Veel stress onder studenten kan leiden tot slechte studieprestaties en het verhoogt de kans op mentale stoornissen. De inter(nationaliteit) van studenten stond centraal in dit onderzoek, omdat uit voorgaand onderzoek bleek dat internationale studenten vaak met meer stressoren te maken hebben dan nationale studenten. Tevens zijn internationale studenten verder van huis, waardoor de kans op eenzaamheid groter is. Dit vormt een probleem, omdat meer eenzaamheid kan leiden tot meer stress en hierdoor de kans op negatieve gevolgen van stress worden vergroot. Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd met behulp van online vragenlijsten waaronder de Perceived Stress Scale-10 die het stressniveau mat en twee items die eenzaamheid maten. De hypotheses zijn getest middels een mediatieanalyse. Er bleek dat internationale studenten significant meer stress ervaarden dan Nederlandse studenten, maar beide groepen lieten gemiddeld middelmatige stress zien. Internationale studenten hadden ook significant meer gevoelens van eenzaamheid en eenzaamheid bleek een mediator in de relatie tussen nationaliteit en stress. Internationale studenten hebben hierdoor meer kans op de negatieve gevolgen van stress. Het is belangrijk dat de Universiteit Leiden interventies ontwikkelt om stress en eenzaamheid van inter(nationale) studenten te verminderen om zo de negatieve gevolgen ervan te beperken. Tot slot is het verstandig dat er bewustzijn wordt gecreëerd rondom de aangeboden interventies en hulp vanuit de universiteit, zodat de (internationale) student hiervan op de hoogte is. This study examined the difference in perceived stress between Dutch and international students who study at Leiden University and whether loneliness is a mediator in the relationship between nationality and stress. Students who experience a lot of stress have a higher chance of developing mental disorders and it can lead to worse academic performance. The effect of nationality was examined because previous research showed that international students often deal with more stressors than national students. Besides that, international students are further away from home which can lead to feelings of loneliness. Loneliness can subsequently cause higher levels of stress and therefore, international students are at risk. This study is conducted with an online questionnaire where the Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used 4 to measure perceived stress and two separate items were used to measure feelings of loneliness. The hypotheses are tested via a mediation analysis. International students significantly experienced higher levels of stress than Dutch students, however, both experienced moderate levels of stress. International students also had significantly more feelings of loneliness than Dutch students and loneliness turned out to be a mediator in the relation between nationality and stress. For this reason, international students are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of stress. It is important that Leiden University develops interventions to target stress and feelings of loneliness among the student body to reduce its negative consequences. Finally, creating awareness about the interventions and help available from the university is necessary in order to reach out to the international students in particular.Show less
Previous research shows that many students suffer from depressive symptoms. The prevalence of this has increased substantially in the corona crisis. This study examined the extent to which students...Show morePrevious research shows that many students suffer from depressive symptoms. The prevalence of this has increased substantially in the corona crisis. This study examined the extent to which students who have previously experienced depression have relapsed into depressive symptoms in the period from June 2020 to June 2021, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). In addition, we examined the influence of gender on this association. The study uses data from the Caring Universities project. The questionnaire was completed by 513 students at both measurement points. The sample of participants who had previously experienced depression consisted of 182 people. The participants were on average 22 years old at the start of the study. Contrary to expectations, no significant difference was found between the June 2020 and June 2021 PHQ-9 scores. In addition, gender also did not play a role in the similarity of depression scores between the two measurement points. Both female and male students had nearly equal PHQ-9 scores at both measurement points. Further research is needed to identify the impact of corona crisis on relapse in depressive symptoms among students and to analyze the role of gender on this.Show less
