Behind the numbers: The growing mental health crisis among international students in America

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center

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National trends in the prevalence of clinically significant anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and mental health service utilisation among international students, 2015–2024.

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Credit: Yusen Zhai; Yiying Xiong; Mahmood Almaawali; Xihe Tian; Xue Du.

Despite international students in U.S. higher education facing significant mental health challenges, national patterns of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and mental health service use among this group remain poorly understood. To address the gap, a recent study published in General Psychiatry explored national trends in clinically significant mental health issues, along with corresponding mental health service use among international students at higher education institutions from 2015 to 2024.

 

This study looked at data from 44,560 international students, collected each year between 2015 and 2024. The information came from the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), a large survey that gathers information on mental health from students at over 600 U.S. colleges and universities.

 

The results reveal sharp increases in mental distress: the prevalence of anxiety rose from 20% to 36%, depression from 20% to 35%, and suicidal ideation from 5% to 10%. By contrast, the proportion of students receiving counseling increased only modestly—from 5% to 8%.

 

“These findings show a widening gap between rising psychological needs and access to care,” said lead author Dr. Yusen Zhai of the University of Florida. “International students face unique challenges that traditional campus services often overlook.”

 

The study attributes these trends to multiple stressors: academic pressure, financial hardship, cultural adjustment, and isolation. Female students reported steeper increases in anxiety and depression than their male peers, who were less likely to seek help—reflecting the persistent stigma surrounding mental health in many cultures. The study also identified international students across various age groups reporting concerning increases in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Interestingly, the data also showed a temporary decline in anxiety and depression during 2019–2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers suggest this brief improvement may reflect enhanced family support, flexible academic arrangements, and university outreach during lockdown periods.

 

Researchers warn that the implications extend beyond individual well-being. With over 1.1 million international students contributing about $40 billion annually to the U.S. economy, worsening mental health could threaten the country’s global academic appeal. “If students and families perceive U.S. campuses as unsupportive environments, enrollment could decline,” Zhai noted.

 

The authors urge universities and policymakers to expand culturally competent, multilingual counseling services, strengthen peer support networks, and explore AI-assisted mental health tools such as evidence-based chatbots to bridge service gaps. They also call for ongoing monitoring of mental health trends and early intervention efforts.

 

“Addressing international students’ mental health is not just an ethical responsibility—it’s an investment in the future of higher education,” the study concludes.

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Journal

General Psychiatry

DOI

10.1136/gpsych-2025-102124 

Method of Research

Observational study

Article Title

National trends of mental health and service utilisation among international students in the USA, 2015–2024

 

Enhancing ocean wind observation accuracy: New rain correction approach for FY-3E WindRAD

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Schematic of the assumed Ku-band measured NRCS bias distribution with rain rates and wind-induced NRCS.

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Credit: Zhao Ke

Satellite scatterometers play a crucial role in monitoring ocean surface winds, with their accuracy directly impacting weather forecasting and climate research. However, rainfall has consistently challenged precise wind measurements, as Ku-band radar signals are much affected by rain clouds.

 

A recent collaborative study involving researchers from the China Meteorological Administration, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute has led to the development of an innovative rain conceptual model using dual-frequency measurements from the WindRAD instrument aboard China’s FengYun-3E (FY-3E) satellite to quantify and correct rain-induced errors in wind measurements. This breakthrough is detailed in their publication “A rain effect elimination approach using FengYun-3E WindRAD dual-frequency measurements” in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters.

 

The method demonstrates remarkable effectiveness under moderate rainfall conditions. After correction, discrepancies between Ku-band and C-band wind measurements show significant improvement: the wind speed root-mean-square errors decrease by approximately 0.2 m s−1, while wind direction errors reduce by about 1.6°. Notably, the average wind speed bias was nearly eliminated at rain rates below 10 mm h−1.

 

“Our method improves the agreement between Ku-band and C-band wind retrievals during rain events,” notes corresponding author Dr. Xu Na. “Although further refinements are needed for complex conditions like heavy rainfall and low wind speeds, this work establishes a viable path toward more reliable scatterometer data in rainy conditions globally.”

 

This advancement not only enhances the data quality from FY-3E’s WindRAD but also offers an adaptable framework for other international Ku-band scatterometers, representing a significant step forward in global ocean wind monitoring capabilities.

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Journal

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters

DOI

10.1016/j.aosl.2025.100725 

 

Uneven progress: Urban–rural gap widens in China’s fight against cancer

China Anti-Cancer Association

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Trends in age-standardized mortality rates for select cancers by gender in China, 2013–2021.

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Credit: Cancer Biology & Medicine

New nationwide data reveal that China’s age-standardized cancer mortality rates have declined steadily between 2013 and 2021, largely due to progress in controlling stomach, liver, and esophageal cancers. Yet, the total number of cancer deaths continues to rise, projected to reach 2.4 million by 2030. Researchers found that population aging and uneven access to healthcare are driving these increases, even as mortality rates improve. Declines are most pronounced in urban regions, while rural areas lag behind. The study emphasizes that targeted screening, lifestyle interventions, and equitable healthcare expansion are critical to sustaining progress in cancer prevention and reducing mortality disparities across China.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in China, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all deaths nationwide. Rapid socioeconomic change, environmental exposure, and an aging population have intensified the burden of cancer across the country. Although national programs in cancer prevention and early detection have improved survival rates, regional inequalities persist. Rural residents face limited access to medical care and lower screening coverage compared to urban populations. At the same time, lifestyle-related risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, and obesity continue to rise. Due to these challenges, a comprehensive analysis of long-term cancer mortality trends and future projections was needed to inform national prevention strategies.

A research team from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College has published (DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0158)new findings in Cancer Biology & Medicine, revealing national cancer mortality trends from 2013 to 2021 and projections through 2030. Drawing on 2.37 billion person-years of data from the China Causes of Death Surveillance System, the study reports significant overall declines in cancer mortality but warns that population aging and regional disparities will continue to drive increases in absolute cancer deaths nationwide.

The researchers analyzed mortality data from 605 surveillance sites across 31 provinces, representing 24% of China’s population. Using age–period–cohort modeling, they calculated age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) and projected trends through 2030. Between 2013 and 2021, overall ASMRs for all cancers decreased by 2.3% annually, driven by substantial declines in esophageal (–4.8%), stomach (–4.5%), and liver cancers (–2.7%). However, mortality increased for pancreatic (+2.0%) and prostate (+3.4%) cancers. Urban areas achieved faster reductions (–3.0% per year) than rural ones (–2.0%), highlighting persistent inequalities. Decomposition analysis revealed that population aging contributed 20–50% of the increases in differentcancer deaths. By 2030, lung cancer will remain the leading cause of cancer-related death in both genders, followed by liver, colorectal, gastric, and esophageal cancers in men, and colorectal, liver, gastric, and breast cancers in women. The team estimates that 2.4 million people will die from cancer in 2030 despite continued improvements in mortality rates, underscoring the dual challenges of an aging society and unequal healthcare access.

“China has made remarkable strides in reducing cancer mortality through nationwide screening and risk-control programs,” said corresponding author Dr. Xiaoqiu Dai from the National Cancer Center. “However, the demographic shift toward an older population means that absolute cancer deaths will continue to rise. We need to focus on early detection and equitable access to cancer care, especially in rural regions. Integrating prevention and control measures into broader public health and aging policies will be essential to sustaining progress and narrowing the urban–rural divide.”

The study provides a crucial evidence base for policy decisions aimed at reducing China’s future cancer burden. Strengthening early screening in rural areas, promoting HPV and HBV vaccination, and encouraging healthier lifestyles could significantly reduce mortality in high-risk populations. Moreover, expanding cancer control into rural revitalization strategies can ensure that prevention and treatment reach underserved areas. The researchers suggest that coordinated national efforts to address environmental, behavioral, and demographic factors could not only lower cancer mortality but also serve as a model for other developing countries facing similar aging-related health transitions.

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References

DOI

10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0158

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0158

Funding Information

This study was supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (Grant No. 2021-I2M-1-011) and the Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research (Grant No. CFH2024-2G-40214).

About Cancer Biology & Medicine

Cancer Biology & Medicine (CBM) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal sponsored by China Anti-cancer Association (CACA) and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital. The journal monthly provides innovative and significant information on biological basis of cancer, cancer microenvironment, translational cancer research, and all aspects of clinical cancer research. The journal also publishes significant perspectives on indigenous cancer types in China. The journal is indexed in SCOPUS, MEDLINE and SCI (IF 8.4, 5-year IF 6.7), with all full texts freely visible to clinicians and researchers all over the world (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/2000/).

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Journal

Cancer Biology & Medicine

DOI

10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2025.0158 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Cancer mortality trends in China from 2013–2021 and projections to 2030

 

New AI method boosts microplastic classification

Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Hybrid microplastic recognition method combining attention mechanism and dual-branch convolutional neural network

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Credit: TONG Jingjing

Recently, a research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a new deep learning method that improves the classification accuracy of mixed microplastics in infrared spectroscopy to 98%.

Their findings were recently published in Microchemical Journal.

Microplastics are plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm with different shapes. They are one of the four major emerging pollutants gaining global attention. Because of their tiny size, microplastics are more harmful than larger plastics. In practice, they often appear in mixtures, and the mixing ratios change spectral signals, making them difficult to analyze. Traditional machine learning methods capture only limited spectral features, which reduces the accuracy of microplastic identification.

In this study, researchers apply the highly efficient attention mechanism (CBAM) to a two-branch convolutional neural network. The two branches concatenate the outputs of the CBAM attention module to extract more spectral features, thereby optimizing the model's classification performance and achieving a classification accuracy of up to 98%, outperforming traditional algorithms.

The CBAM module first uses a channel attention module to identify key channels. It then utilizes a spatial attention module to locate important spatial regions within each channel. Finally, it generates an attention map and multiplies it element-wise with the input feature map to refine the features.

“Visualizing convolutional neural networks through Grad-CAM more clearly shows the important features selected by the model in characterizing microplastics,” said TONG Jingjing, a member of the team. 

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Journal

Microchemical Journal

DOI

10.1016/j.microc.2025.115131 

Article Title

New AI Method Boosts Microplastic Classification