Evaluation of the problems, anxiety levels and digital health literacy encountered by foreign students at a public university and comparison with local students

Aim: Examining the problems faced by international students, the negative situations they are exposed to, their anxiety, depression levels and digital health literacy levels in the face of these situations, in comparison with local students. Material and Method: The study was conducted with a total of 784 students, 50.8% of whom were local and 49.2% of whom were international, studying at a public university in the 2022-2023 academic year. Beck Depression Inventory (DBI), Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and Digital Health Scale (E-HEALTH-S) were applied to evaluate the students' depression, trait anxiety levels and digital health literacy levels. In statistical analysis, Sample T-Test was used in paired groups, and ANOVA test was used for more than two comparisons. Results: The BDI mean score of international students (X=19.64±11.95) was found to be significantly higher than the BDI mean score of domestic students (X=14.28±10.15) (p<0.05). According to their E-HEALTH-S mean scores, international students were significantly more anxious (p<0.05). According to the E-HEALTH-S mean scores, the E-HEALTH-S mean scores of domestic students were higher than the E-HEALTH-S mean scores of international students, and there was a statistically significant difference between them (p<0.05). Conclusion: The majority of the international students participating in the study were Syrian nationals, and the depression and anxiety levels of international students were found to be higher and significant than those of local students. Female students were found to be more anxious than male students, and local students had higher digital health literacy than international students.