Psychological Distress, Coping Mechanisms, and Help-Seeking Behaviors among Filipino International Students in Australia: A Basis for Developing a Peer Support Mental Health Program

The population of Filipino international students in Australia has shown rapid growth over the past years. Previous research has discussed the challenges of international students when moving to their host country, including language barriers, financial issues, living arrangements, and cultural adjustments that may lead to psychological distress when not addressed. International students use different coping mechanisms to cope with these challenges. In line with this, mental health programs are promoted by their host country, however, research proved that international students are unlikely to seek psychological help due to help-seeking barriers. This study investigated the relationship between psychological distress, coping mechanisms, and help-seeking behaviors of Filipino international students in Australia. The study was utilized in a quantitative study through descriptive-correlational and descriptive comparative research design on the data obtained from three hundred eight six (386) respondents, which was selected using a purposive sampling technique. The data are gathered using an online survey questionnaire containing the Informed Consent Form, Personal Data Sheet, Kessler-10 (K-10), Brief COPE Scale, and General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ). Results revealed that Filipino international students in Australia are most likely to have a moderate disorder, and they most likely use problem-focused coping mechanisms. Although psychological distress is evident, Filipino international students did not prefer to seek help in the event of personal problems or suicidal ideation. The relationship between the variables revealed that psychological distress positively correlates with coping mechanisms particularly problem-focused (r = 0.354) and emotion-focused (r = 0.546) coping mechanisms; psychological distress did not show any relationship with the help-seeking behaviors of the subjects (r = 0.059, r = -0.028); and Help-seeking behavior revealed a significant relationship with coping mechanisms (r = 0.211 & r = 0.213, r = 0.192 & r = 0.13, r = 0.118). The results indicated that coping mechanisms were used by Filipino international students when experiencing psychological distress. However, Filipino international students in Australia did not prefer seeking help in times of psychological distress. Moreover, psychological distress and avoidant coping mechanisms were shown to vary on age (p = 0.001, p = 0.039), and the financial capacity of the respondents is an important factor in their help-seeking behavior (p = 0.038, p = 0.5557). Furthermore, the results of the study revealed the importance of KALMA a peer support mental health program to address the ongoing challenges and psychological distress of the respondents.