ABSTRACT
Being isolated for a long time in a dorm is causing pandemic fears in international students. Globally this pandemic fear is becoming burdensome and chronic for students in China. This study is aimed to investigate pandemic fear, negative repetitive thoughts, and the mental and physical well-being of international students in China. The research design used in this study was a mixed-method. Data were collected by conducting interviews with international students (N = 205) of different nations (i.e., Asia, Europe, America, and Africa) in China and with the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Warwick Mental Wellbeing Scale, Perceived Wellbeing Scale. Participants were selected by using a convenience sampling technique. 56% of students were male (n = 115) and 44% (n = 90) were females. The participant's age (M = 1.35, SD = .48) ranged from 21 to 40 years, in which 94 were married, and 111 were single. The findings of the study revealed a negative association between worry and mental health, and worry was also a significant predictor of international students' mental health.
Furthermore, results indicate that students are afraid of contracting the coronavirus, isolation, and financial issues. This study also shows that people are not only afraid to go out in case they contract this contagious virus, but they are also afraid in their dormitories. This study shows that knowing one's own mental and physical well-being is beneficial in fighting the virus.
