66. Cross-cultural communication stress on the mental health of international students and intervention strategies

Abstract Background International students face multiple pressures such as academics, cultural adaptation, and social interaction. Among them, cross-cultural adaptation and communication pressure have become one of the major challenges faced by these students. Cross-cultural Communication Pressure (CCP), for international students, is caused by the inability to adapt to the new cultural environment, and they may have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Since existing research focuses more on multiple aspects of cross-cultural adaptation, research specifically focusing on the impact of CCP on the mental health of international students is still limited. To this end, the study aims to systematically explore effective intervention strategies by analyzing the impact of CCP on the mental health of international students. Methods The study adopted a mixed research method of questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. The questionnaire survey was used to quantitatively analyze the relationship between CCP and mental health status of international students. In-depth interviews are used to gain a deeper understanding of students' personal experiences and feelings. The research subjects were 200 international students at a university, using the standardized Cross Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) and the Mental Health Self-Assessment Scale. Twenty questionnaire participants were randomly selected and conducted semi-structured interviews to further understand the specific manifestations of CCP and its impact on mental health. SPSS30.0 software was used for data analysis, mainly using methods such as descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis. Results According to the CCAI scale results, the average CCP score of the respondents was 3.8 (out of 5 points), indicating that international students in general have high cross-cultural adaptability. The survey found that 72% of respondents reported experiencing varying degrees of CCP, with 45% saying this stress had significantly affected their daily lives. Correlation analysis confirmed that CCP was significantly negatively correlated with mental health status (r = -0.58, p<.01). This suggests that the greater the stress, the worse the mental health. Regression analysis results show that CCP has a significant predictive effect on mental health status (β = -0.45, p<.01), explaining 20% of the variation in mental health. Through in-depth interviews, statistics show that the main sources of CCP are misunderstandings and conflicts caused by language barriers, social isolation and cultural differences. Discussion Research results show that CCP significantly affects the mental health of international students, and appropriate intervention strategies can effectively alleviate this pressure and improve mental health. Mental health intervention strategies for international students should focus on alleviating CCP, which can start from providing language support, promoting cross-cultural exchanges and establishing social support networks. This study reveals the significant impact of CCP on the mental health of international students and provides an important reference for university administrators and education policy makers. Future research can further analyze the specific manifestations of CCP in different cultural backgrounds and its impact on mental health. In addition, more intervention strategies targeting CCP need to be developed and verified to help international students better adapt to life in a foreign country. Funding No. 24GYB112.