ISSN : 2233-6710(Print)
ISSN : 2384-2121(Online)
ISSN : 2384-2121(Online)
Journal of Asia Pacific Counseling Vol.13 No.1 pp.131-147
DOI : http://doi.org/10.18401/2023.13.1.9
DOI : http://doi.org/10.18401/2023.13.1.9
Internal Resources, Adjustment, and Mental Health among Asian International Students: A Structural Equation Model
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a structural equation model in which Asian international students’ Internal Resources, as measured by self-efficacy, resilience, and help-seeking attitudes, predict their Mental Health, as measured by depression and anxiety, through Adjustment, as measured by five dimensions: personal-emotional adjustment, social adjustment, academic motivation, academic environment, and institutional attachment. The sample included 134 Asian international students in the U.S. higher educational institutions. The final model, with help-seeking attitudes removed due to its low factor loading in the measurement model, rendered an acceptable fit to the data, and Internal Resources significantly predicted Adjustment, which in turn significantly and negatively predicted Mental Health. The indirect effect from Internal Resources to Mental Health through Adjustment was found statistically significant as well, confirming the mediation effect of Adjustment on the relationship between Internal Resources and Mental Health. Implications and future research directions are discussed.