Deconstructing the Mental Health Challenges of Adult Education Migrants on the Margins - Promoting Pedagogies of Mental Health Selfcare

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kyle

International students, treated here as education migrants, face complex mental health challenges shaped by cultural, social, and institutional pressures. The study shows these difficulties intensify for students with dependents and are worsened by limited access to culturally responsive support. Using mixed methods with 600+ students and alumni from a Canadian community college, it compares single and family students, examining attitudes, help-seeking, coping, and institutional readiness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Research aim and central question

Theoretical Framework: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Lens

Deconstructing the Mental Health Challenges of Adult Education Migrants on the Margins: Promoting Pedagogies of Mental Health Selfcare Benjamin Torhide Denga1 Ms. Neetika Airi2 Ms. Victoria Vaz Cruz3 ABSTRACT: International students—understood in this study as education migrants—experience complex mental health challenges shaped by cultural, social, and institutional factors. These challenges are intensiﬁed for those with dependents and are often compounded by limited access to culturally responsive supports. This paper presents ﬁndings from a mixed‐methods study involving over 600 students and alumni at a large Canadian community college, examining how they understand, navigate, and respond to mental health concerns within the broader education–migration system. The analysis explores the distinct mental health challenges faced by both single students and those with families, shedding light on how these experiences shape their settlement and integration journeys in Canada. It also compares international students’ attitudes toward mental health, their help‐seeking behaviours, and the coping strategies they adopt—or avoid—when confronting adverse outcomes. Further, the study assesses institutional readiness, highlighting gaps and successes in addressing diverse learners’mental health needs. Our actionable recommendations include strategies for fostering culturally responsive mental health practices that centre the voices and lived experiences of education migrants—international students (and, in some cases, their dependent partners or children)—who are often positioned at the margins of internationalization: participating in global education without fully accessing inclusion, representation, or well‐being. Situated within the broader education–migration system (Brunner, 2022; Taborda, 2017), the article proposes a pedagogy of mental health self‐care that empowers students, staﬀ, and institutions to cultivate agency, equity, and resilience. Ultimately, it reframes self‐care from an individual coping mechanism into a shared culture of belonging and transformative well‐being across higher education. Keywords: international students; mental health self‐care; help‐seeking behaviour Introduction Mental health challenges among postsecondary students—particularly those from international, racialized, and migrant backgrounds—are increasingly recognized as 1 Assistant Professor, University of Alberta; [Benjamin.denga@ualberta.ca](Benjamin.denga@ualberta.ca) 2 NorQuest College; [mavivaz18@gmail.com](mavivaz18@gmail.com) 3 NorQuest College; [nairi@norquest.ca](nairi@norquest.ca) Page 32 • AAACE Commission for International Adult Education signiﬁcant barriers to academic success, well‐being, and long‐term integration (Auerbach et al., 2018; Forbes‐Mewett, 2019; Hyun et al., 2007; Maharaj et al., 2024; Wilson et al., 2023; Wu et al., 2015). Building on this global evidence, growing research shows that these challenges often manifest as sustained or recurrent conditions that impede learning and adaptation. The long‐term mental health impacts that international college students experience include depression, anxiety, and enduring psychological harm (Alshammari et al., 2023) . Despite growing awareness, institutional responses remain fragmented, under‐ resourced, and culturally misaligned, often reﬂecting Western‐centric models that fail to address international students’ lived realities (Auerbach et al., 2018; Forbes‐Mewett & Sawyer, 2016; Yakunina et al., 2013). Recent research by Sien et al. (2022) further underscores the importance of culturally responsive and context‐sensitive approaches to mental health among international students. Drawing from design‐based inquiry with East Asian students in Canadian universities, their study identiﬁed the need for ﬂexible, self‐directed, and culturally aﬃrming wellbeing supports that align closely with students’ lived experiences. These insights reinforce the value of int

FAQs

What mental health challenges do education migrants face in postsecondary settings?

The study describes complex challenges shaped by cultural, social, and institutional factors, including sustained or recurrent impacts that hinder learning and adaptation.

How does having dependents affect international students’ mental health experiences?

Challenges intensify for students with dependents, especially when culturally responsive supports are limited and institutional responses are not aligned with lived realities.

What pedagogy does the paper propose to address these gaps?

It proposes a pedagogy of mental health self-care that reframes self-care as a shared culture of belonging and transformative well-being, informed by an EDID lens.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kyle