"<i>You feel hopeless when you can't access healthcare</i>": International students' experiences of mental health help-seeking through primary healthcare services in Scotland.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

International university students (ISs) experience elevated rates of psychological distress due to the unique challenges of living and studying in a new country. Nonetheless, their utilisation of mental health services tends to be low. This study aimed to explore ISs' experiences of help-seeking via the Scottish primary healthcare services.

Methods

A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed. The sample included nine female ISs from a range of cultural backgrounds, who sought mental health support from the Scottish primary healthcare services within the previous year.

Results

Participants' help-seeking experiences, contextualised within the challenging, liminal reality of living and stud

SUBMITTER: Kolinska U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12581769 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature