Factors Influencing the Mental Health of International Students, as Observed in a Longitudinal Study on Former Japanese Government Scholarship Students

Background: More than 30 years have passed since the Japanese government announced its Interna-tional Student 100,000 Plan in 1983. Today, the number of international students in the country exceeds 300,000. This study examines the relationship between factors affecting the mental health of interna-tional students and their satisfaction with having studied abroad in Japan. Methods: An online-questionnaire was given to 82 former Japanese government scholarship students who studied in Japan in the 1980s. The survey consisted of items related to the basic personal attributes of the participants, their lives in Japan during their period of study (20 items), their satisfaction level at having studied in Japan (10 items), and their current happiness level (4 items). Results: A significant relationship was observed between the level of satisfaction at having studied in Japan and a number of the statements relating to respondents' lives in Japan as students, including: "I felt that the differences between Japan and my home country were interesting, and enjoyed these differ-ences," and "Whenever I encountered a difficult situation, I attempted to find different approaches to deal with the problem." A similar relationship was also observed between these statements and subjec-tive happiness. Conclusions: International students who were able to accept the differences and difficulties they con -fronted positively and respond to situations flexibly tended to report higher levels of satisfaction with their studies in Japan and higher levels of happiness, suggesting that individual psychological factors, such as situation perception and associated coping behaviors, have a defining impact on mental health. (J Nippon Med Sch 2021; 88: 475-484)