The mental health and wellbeing of international students will be the focus of a new study that will develop an online platform to better understand how to support international students studying in Melbourne.
The vocational recovery team at Orygen will partner with The University of Melbourne’s wellbeing services team to engage more than 75 international students in eight focus groups throughout 2019. The focus groups will aim to identify international students’ wellbeing needs and help-seeking preferences. The findings will inform the development of a web-based platform to support international students
Focus group participants will represent both first year students who have only recently arrived, as well as established students studying in their second year and beyond. The focus groups will be co-designed with international student peer leaders to ensure they are culturally appropriate and acceptable.
Students will take part in a group discussion to explore how the experience of settling into Australian student life can be supported and made easier. Participants will identify their mental health and wellbeing needs, as well as their help-seeking preferences.
The study has been made possible from funding by Study Melbourne.
Focus groups will be held at The University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, and participants reimbursed for their time.
The research team is encouraging students who meet the following criteria to participate in the study:
- A current international student studying at The University of Melbourne
- Aged between 18 – 24 years
- Willing to share their thoughts and experiences about mental health and wellbeing.
To register your interest or for more information, please email Andrew Synnot, Project Officer, International Student Welfare Project, on [email protected].