COVID-19 and Student Life

An Ubuntu and resilience perspective on the experiences of African International University Students in the United States

Authors

  • Gashaye Melaku Tefera Florida State University
  • Kelechi Onyeaka University of Missouri
  • Nameri Conteh University of Missouri
  • Ifeolu David University of Missouri
  • Omoshola Kehinde University of Missouri
  • Idethia Harvey University of Missouri
  • Wilson Majee University of Missouri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v13i3.4764

Keywords:

African international students, COVID19, mental and emotional health, coping strategies, ubuntu, African resilience, person-in-environment resilience framewrok, U.S.

Abstract

While COVID-19 affected all segments of the population, vulnerable social groups, including international students, were disproportionately affected. The primary objective of this study was to explore COVID-19-related experiences of African international graduate students (AIGS). Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 AIGS. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Participants reported experiencing fear of the virus and anxiety about their health and their family members (individual), feelings of isolation and depression because of reduced social engagement and lack of familial support (interactional), dealing with work restrictive student visas, and loss of work opportunities (environmental/structural). The person-in-environment (PIE) and Ubuntu philosophy were useful lenses to understand the findings in the context of COVID-19 given its socio-cultural connection to AIGS.Understanding the experiences of AIGS can help inform better approaches, including institutional and national policy changes, to support not only AIGS but also vulnerable international students during pandemics.

Author Biographies

  • Gashaye Melaku Tefera, Florida State University

    Gashaye Melaku Tefera (Ph.D., MSW, MA) is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Dr. Tefera is an international social work researcher with a focus on health disparities, equity, and social justice among vulnerable populations including immigrant, refugee, indigenous, older adults, international students, and low-income populations. His research is informed by various theoretical and conceptual approaches including decolonization, indigenization, intersectionality, and cultural relevance.

  • Kelechi Onyeaka, University of Missouri

    Kelechi Onyeaka, MPH, is a Deaton Scholar at the University of Missouri and fellow at Community Health Center, Inc. His research interest revolves around disparities in disease prevention, treatment, and outcomes among the under-served populations through community-based participatory research.

  • Nameri Conteh, University of Missouri

    Nameri Conteh, MPH, is a Ph.D. student in Health and Rehabilitation Science at the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri. She is focusing her research on limiting the health disparities in underserved communities through policy and is interested in learning more about how immigration affects people’s health.

  • Ifeolu David, University of Missouri

    Ifeolu David, MD, MPH, is a Ph.D. student in Health and Rehabilitation Science at the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri. His research interest includes physical attributes of people who work in office buildings and have a sedentary life, Ebola, COVID19 pandemic, and HIV and AIDS.

  • Omoshola Kehinde, University of Missouri

    Omoshola Benardinah Kehinde, B. Pharm, MPH, is a Ph.D. student at the School of Social Work, University of Missouri. Her research interests lie in the areas of opioid overdose and deaths among African-Americans in the United States. She is specifically interested in the social determinants of health that could be contributing to the increase in opioid deaths among this population. 

  • Idethia Harvey, University of Missouri

    Idethia Harvey, DrPH, FGSA, is an associate professor at the Department of Health Sciences, University of Missouri. Dr. Harvey’s research portfolio focuses on ethnic minority populations using participatory models of qualitative research, chronic disease management, and health disparities among rural and aging African Americans. Dr. Harvey has served as a principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and co-investigator on federal and state grant research totaling over 2 million dollars. She was awarded R21 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. The grant titled is ‘The Study of Type-2 Diabetes and the Rural Experience regarding Stress and Self-management behavior (STRESS) Project.’ In addition, she is the co-Principal Investigator for the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Harvey is the author of more than 48 peer-reviewed research articles and 160 professional presentations. Dr. Harvey is the Associate Editor for the Journal of Ethnicity and Health and is a reviewer for numerous scientific journals. Her honors included being selected as a Fellow for the Gerontological Society of America, ADVANCE Scholars Program at Texas A & M University, and College of Education and Human Development Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Leadership Fellow.

  • Wilson Majee, University of Missouri

    Wilson Majee, Ph.D., MPH, MBA is an associate professor at the Department of Health Sciences and Public Health at the University of Missouri. His overarching research is to explore, identify and implement place-based approaches to health and well-being of those living in resource-limited communities.

References

Acero, Á. R., Cano-Prous, A., Castellanos, G., Martín-Lanas, R., & Canga-Armayor, A. (2017). Family identity and severe mental illness: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. European Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1002/EJSP.2240

Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability, 12, 8438. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12208438

Ayouni, I., Maatoug, J., Dhouib, W., Zammit, N., Fredj, S. ben, Ghammam, R., & Ghannem, H. (2021). Effective public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-021-11111-1

Boafo-Arthur, S. (2020). Acculturative experiences of Black-African international students. International Journal of Advanced Counseling, 36, 115–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9194-8

Borjas, G., & Cassidy, H. (2020, May). The adverse effect of the COVID-19 labor market shock on immigrant employment. (NBER Working Paper No. 27243). https://www.nber.org/papers/w27243

Castiello-Gutiérrez, S., & Li, X. (2020). We are more than your paycheck: The dehumanization of international students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 10, 2166–3750. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i3.2676

Cassarino-Perez, L., & Dell’Aglio, D. (2015). Resilience in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Periodicos.Uem.Br, 20, 45–56. https://doi.org/10.4025/psicolestud.v20i1.24035

Chen, J. H., Li, Y., Wu, A. M. S., & Tong, K. K. (2020). The overlooked minority: Mental health of international students worldwide under the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond [Editorial]. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 102333. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AJP.2020.102333

Coffey, J., Cook, J., Farrugia, D., Threadgold, S., & Burke, P. J. (2021). Intersecting marginalities: International students’ struggles for “survival” in COVID-19. Gender, Work and Organization, 28, 1337–1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/GWAO.12610

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications Inc.

Dass-Brailsford, P. (2005). Exploring resiliency: Academic achievement among disadvantaged black youth in South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 35, 574–591. https://doi.org/10.1177/008124630503500311

Eze, M. (2016). Intellectual history in contemporary South Africa. Palgrave McMillan.

Frost, N. (2011). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining core approaches. McGraw-Hill.

Georgia College (2020). Impact Report. https://www.gcsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2021-03/SEC%20CY20%20Impact%20Report.pdf

Giuntella, O., Hyde, K., Saccardo, S., & Sadoff, S. (2021). Lifestyle and mental health disruptions during COVID-19. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2016632118/SUPPL_FILE/PNAS.2016632118.SAPP.PDF

Goldrick-Rab, S., Coca, V., Gill, J., Peele, M., Clark, K., & Looker, E. (2022). Self-reported COVID-19 infection and implications for mental health and food insecurity among American college students. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.2111787119/SUPPL_FILE/PNAS.2111787119.SAPP.PDF

Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J., & Williams, E. N. (1997). A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25, 517–572.

Kim, H. R., & Kim, E. J. (2021). Factors associated with mental health among international students during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 11381. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH182111381

Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2017). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research part 2: Context, research questions and designs. The European Journal of General Practice, 23, 274–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375090

Lai, A. Y. Kwan, Lee, L., Wang, M. P., Feng, Y., Lai, T. T. Kwan, Ho, L. M., Lam, V. S. fun, Ip, M. S. man, & Lam, T. H. (2020). Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international university students, related stressors, and coping strategies. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYT.2020.584240/FULL

Lee, J., Blackmon, B. J., Cochran, D. M., Kar, B., Rehner, T. A., & Gunnell, M. S. (2018). Community resilience, psychological resilience, and depressive symptoms: An examination of the Mississippi Gulf Coast 10 years after Hurricane Katrina and 5 years after the Deepwater horizon oil spill. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 12(2), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1017/DMP.2017.61

Masten, A. S., & Motti-Stefanidi, F. (2020). Multisystem resilience for children and youth in disaster: Reflections in the context of COVID-19. Adversity and Resilience Science, 1, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/S42844-020-00010-W

Mbous, Y. P. V., Mohamed, R., & Rudisill, T. M. (2022). International students’ challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in a university in the United States: A focus group study. Current Psychology, 1, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12144-022-02776-X/FIGURES/1

Metz, T. (2016). Managerialism as anti-social. In M. Cross & A. Ndofirepi (Eds.), Knowledge and change in African universities (pp. 139–154). Sense Publishers. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/edcoll/9789463008457/BP000009.pdf

Mkhize, N. (2008). Ubuntu and harmony: An African approach to morality and ethics. University of Kwazulu-Natal Press.

Neto, F. (2021). Loneliness among African international students at Portuguese universities. Journal of International Students, 11, 2166–3750. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1379

Parra, L. A., Bell, T. S., Benibgui, M., Helm, J. L., & Hastings, P. D. (2018). The buffering effect of peer support on the links between family rejection and psychosocial adjustment in LGB emerging adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 35, 854–871. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517699713

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Sage.

Rahman, M. K., Gazi, A. I., Bhuiyan, M. A., & Rahaman, A. (2021). Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on tourist travel risk and management perceptions. PLOS ONE, 16, e0256486. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0256486

Sarmiento, Á., Ponce, R., & Bertolín, A. (2021). Resilience and COVID-19: An analysis in university students during confinement. Education Sciences, 11, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI11090533

Shi, L., Sun, J., Wei, D., & Qiu, J. (2019). Recover from the adversity: Functional connectivity basis of psychological resilience. Neuropsychologia, 122, 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA.2018.12.002

Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J. R. H., Kellezi, B., Stack, R. J., & Dogra, S. (2021). Families as support and burden: A mixed methods exploration of the extent to which family identification and support predicts reductions in stress among disadvantaged neighbourhood residents: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39, 886–907. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211050071

Theron, L., Theron, A., & Malindi, M. (2012). Toward an African definition of resilience: A rural South African community’s view of resilient Basotho youth. Journal of Black Psychology, 39, 63–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412454675

Ungar, M. (2012). Social ecologies and their contribution to resilience. In M. Ungar (Ed.), The social ecology of resilience (pp. 13–31). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0586-3_2

van Breda, A. D. (2017). The youth ecological-resilience scale: A partial validation. Research on Social Work Practice, 27, 248–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731516651731

Wang, X., Hujjaree, K. & Wang, F. (2020). Mental health impacts for international students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Research Square, 1, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-49168/v1

Downloads

Published

2023-08-01

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2023): Journal of International Students

Section

Research Articles (English)

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of International Students

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.

How to Cite

COVID-19 and Student Life: An Ubuntu and resilience perspective on the experiences of African International University Students in the United States. (2023). Journal of International Students, 13(3), 216-235. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v13i3.4764