Stress, Academic Motivation, and Resilience Among International and Domestic Graduate Students

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) pandemic poses a global threat to mental well-being to world population. Not only domestic students but also international students have been adversely impacted by the outbreak due to travel restrictions, delay in academic events, and financial instability. To fill the critical gap that the unprecedented COVID-19 and its rapid transmission led, the study investigated the links between stress and academic motivation, and resilience. Mental health status was assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), motivation was assessed by the Achievement Motives Scale-Revised (AMS-10), and resilience was assessed by the Resilience Appraisals Scale (RAS) among 106 Turkish graduate students. The findings demonstrated that female graduate students have higher stress levels than male graduate students during the outbreak. Perceived stress level and academic motivation were significantly negatively correlated among local students while perceived stress level and resilience were significantly negatively related among international Turkish students. Also, international students who had higher resilience were more likely to have higher academic motivation. The findings addressed the negative impacts of the disease on graduate students’ mental health and academic education and highlighted the need for psychological and social support that universities can provide for graduate students.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, outbreak, mental health, perceived stress, academic motivation, resilience, international students, graduate students, isolation