A Qualitative Inquiry into Non-Local University Students’ Mental Health Literacy and Coping Mechanisms: Implications for University-Based Mental Health Interventions = 非本地大學生心理健康素養和應對機制的定性研究 : 對大學心理健康干預的啟示

Mental health issues among university students have remained a significant global health concern. Previous studies in Hong Kong SAR have alarming rates of psychological distress, substantially impacting university students' personal, social, and academic functioning. Notably, non-local students' mental health experiences remain understudied, often being conflated with those of local students within existing empirical studies. This descriptive qualitative research addresses this critical empirical documented gap by focusing on non-local students' mental health literacy and coping mechanisms. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 undergraduate and postgraduate non-local students at a University Grants Committee-funded university in Hong Kong SAR, the study reveals contradictory findings on non-local students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in addressing their mental health needs. While most participants demonstrate an advanced understanding of mental health, some participants still associate the concept primarily with mental illness or disorders. Moreover, despite acknowledging the importance of helpseeking behaviors for their mental health needs, participants exhibit notable reluctance in utilizing university-based mental health services. The study also foregrounds a three-tiered pathway characterizing non-local students' mental health management: (1) intrapersonal coping strategies, (2) informal social support networks, and (3) institutional mental health services. These findings provide empirical evidence to inform targeted policy recommendations aimed at enhancing mental health support for non-local students within higher education contexts in Hong Kong SAR.

大學生的心理健康問題仍然是全球關注的重大健康問題。以前在中國香港地區的研究表明，心理困擾的發生率令人擔憂，並對大學生的個人、社會和學業方面產生重大影響。值得注意的是，非本地學生的心理健康經歷仍未得到充分研究，在現有的實證研究中往往與本地學生的心理健康經歷混為一談。這項描述性定性研究通過關注非本地學生的心理健康素養和應對機制，彌補了這一關鍵的實證研究空白。研究通過對香港特別行政區一所由大學教育資助委員會資助的大學中14名非本地本科生和研究生進行半結構化訪談，研究揭示了非本地學生在應對其心理健康需求方面的知識、態度和做法等方面相互矛盾的結果。此外，儘管參與者承認求助行為對滿足其心理健康需求的重要性，但他們在利用大學心理健康服務方面表現出明顯的猶豫態度。研究還構建了非本地學生心理健康管理的三層途徑：（1）個人內部應對策略；（2）非正式社會支援網路；（3）院校心理健康服務。這些研究結果提供了實證證據，為在香港特別行政區高等教育背景下加強對非本地學生的心理健康支持提供了有針對性的政策建議。