Inter- and intra-group differences in psychological concerns among international students

Social support and psychotherapy outcomes for international students in university/college counseling centers

Objective: To explore the relationship between international students' social support at intake and international student distress at end of treatment. Participants: Data was collected from participants (n = 40,085) from 90 United States universities using the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) database. Methods: Participants completed measures of psychological distress and perceived social support. Using multilevel modeling, we predicted participants' distress at end of treatment by international student status, social support, race, and length of therapy. Results: We found that international students who reported lower social support at intake ended treatment with higher levels of psychological distress when distress at intake was controlled compared to United States peers. Conclusions: Understanding the significance of social support for international students can help to inform mental healthcare professionals' approach to psychotherapy.

Measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the CCAPS-62 and -34 for international student clients

OBJECTIVES

International students attending universities in the United States may encounter psychological distress related to their adjustment and experiences studying in a new context and seek services from university counseling centers. Many centers use the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) to measure psychological distress in college counseling centers. However, this scale has not been tested for measurement invariance with international students. Our purpose was to explore the measurement invariance of the CCAPS-62 and -34 for international students.

METHODS

We tested measurement invariance for both versions of the scale using data from over 107,000 university students in psychotherapy at university counseling centers. We also examined construct validity and internal consistency.

RESULTS

Invariance testing indicated the measurement models of the CCAPS-62 and -34 are equivalent between both groups.

CONCLUSION

These findings are discussed in light of utilizing this widely-used scale in United States university/college counseling centers with international student clients.