Summary:

Approximately 6% of refugees pursue higher education, significantly less than the general population (approximately 40%; UNESCO, 2023). Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, 83% of young Ukrainians were enrolled in higher education. They had to find a way to continue their studies, often seeking opportunities in European countries, including Moldova and Romania. On the other hand, international students are frequently categorized as immigrants, although their period of stay in the host country is shorter, requiring a quick adaptation. This research aims to identify, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the difficulties and protective factors (i.e. mediators and moderators in a proposed conceptual model) for academic adaptation and mental health of international students and refugees attending university courses in an Eastern European country located near a conflict zone. In addition, the project proposes to design and implement a psychotherapeutic intervention to address the difficulties faced by refugee students in their academic adjustment and mental health in three studies with quantitative and qualitative, cross-sectional and longitudinal methods. This research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the unique experiences of refugee and international students, offering insights to inform targeted support and interventions, ultimately promoting equitable access to higher education and well-being.

The research objectives are:

O1. To identify differences between international and refugee students in terms of the main variables of the study.

O2. To identify the impact that academic stress, social support and coping mechanisms have on the academic adjustment and mental health of the two groups of students.

O3. Identifying significant mediators of post-traumatic stress relationships with academic adjustment and mental health.

O4. To identify, through a qualitative study, the difficulties that refugee students face in terms of academic adjustment and mental health and to propose directions for implementation in practical experience.

O5. Implementing a psychotherapeutic intervention to address the difficulties refugee/international students experience with academic adjustment and mental health.

Project members:

♦The Romanian team

Prof. univ. dr. SOPONARU Camelia, Project leader

Conf.univ.dr. BUTNARU Simona, Research member

Conf.univ.dr. IORGA Magdalena, Research member

Asist. Univ. Dr. ARHIRI Laura, Postdoctoral researcher

Asist. Univ. Dr. GHERMAN Mihaela-Alexandra, Postdoctoral researcher

Asist. Univ. Dr. PĂDURARU Ancuța-Elena, Postdoctoral researcher

♦The Moldova team

Prof. univ. dr. CHIHAI Jana, Principal Partner (P1)

Asist. Univ. Dr. ȘCHIOPU Victor, Postdoctoral researcher

Asist. Univ. Drd. EȘANU Andrei, Doctoral researcher

Asist. Univ. Drd. BOLOGAN Alina, Doctoral researcher

► Cognitive and Socio-Economic Impact of the Project:

 The project aims to advance understanding and intervention strategies for the academic and psychological adaptation of international and refugee students, particularly those from Ukraine. From a cognitive perspective, the research will contribute to the development of new models that integrate post-traumatic stress within acculturation theories, thereby expanding the scientific literature on how students adjust to academic environments in host countries. The study also emphasizes the role of coping mechanisms, social support, and security perceptions in facilitating academic success. By implementing a structured psychotherapeutic intervention based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the project will not only enhance students’ mental well-being but also provide empirically validated strategies to improve cognitive resilience, stress management, and academic performance.

On a socio-economic level, the project will have a significant impact by fostering the academic and professional integration of refugee and international students, ultimately enhancing their employability and socio-economic mobility. The findings will inform universities and policymakers about the specific challenges faced by these students, enabling them to design more effective support systems, reduce dropout rates, and enhance educational accessibility. Additionally, by focusing on students in Romania and Moldova—countries with emerging international education programs—the project will contribute to strengthening the regional academic infrastructure, making these countries more attractive destinations for higher education.

A key aspect of the project is its contribution to public health and mental health services, particularly in addressing the psychological needs of displaced populations. By training mental health professionals and educators in evidence-based intervention strategies, the project will build institutional capacity to support refugee students in academic settings. The dissemination of research findings through high-impact publications and conferences will also facilitate cross-border collaboration, ensuring that best practices in student mental health and academic adjustment are shared across institutions and policy frameworks.

Finally, the project has a long-term socio-economic impact by fostering inclusivity and social cohesion. Enhancing the academic experiences of refugee and international students not only benefits individuals but also strengthens host societies by promoting diversity, gender equality and intercultural understanding. As these students successfully integrate into their academic and professional environments, they contribute to economic growth and social stability. By creating a framework for academic and psychological support, this research will serve as a foundation for future policies and interventions that address the evolving needs of displaced and international student populations.

Main results:

The project investigated the mental health and academic adjustment of students in educational mobility in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, combining a survey of 334 students from ten world regions, 81 semi-structured interviews, and a controlled pilot evaluation of a group intervention.

Differences between the official categories of students proved to be far smaller than expected. Anxiety, exhaustion, difficulties of belonging and fear of academic failure do not follow the boundaries drawn by enrolment records. The project documented a group of students who are invisible to institutional support: young people born in the Republic of Moldova who hold Romanian citizenship and are registered as domestic students, yet who cross a border, change educational systems and separate from their families. Because they share the language, they are expected to adjust on their own, while their accent remains audible. The project named this situation hidden student mobility, and the study describing it was published open access in September 2026.

Analyses of the survey data showed that posttraumatic stress symptoms are associated with poorer academic adaptation through acculturative stress, and with anxiety through perceived insecurity, which indicates that academic and emotional adjustment are shaped by partly distinct mechanisms.

An eight-session online group programme informed by cognitive behavioural therapy was developed and evaluated with 22 students. All participants completed the programme. Compared with a wait-list control group, participants reported better academic adaptation, lower acculturative stress and lower general psychological distress, together with a reduction in posttraumatic stress symptoms that was maintained one month later. The study is reported as a pilot, and its limits are stated in full in the corresponding manuscript.

The practical conclusion of the project is that support for students should be indexed to the actual need for adjustment rather than to the administrative category recorded at enrolment.

Publications

♦ Gherman, M.-A., Arhiri, L., Soponaru, C., Păduraru, A. E., Chihai, J., & Șchiopu, V. (2026). Psychological adjustment and well-being in hidden student mobility: A study of Moldovan students in Romania. Health Psychology Research. https://doi.org/10.36922/HPR026200101 (open access, CC BY-NC 4.0)

♦ Two further manuscripts resulting from the project are currently under peer review at Web of Science indexed journals.

Conference presentations:

2024

♦ Soponaru, C., Chihai, J., Iorga, M., Arhiri, L., Gherman, M. A., Păduraru, A., Butnaru, S., Șchiopu, V., Bologan, A., & Eșanu, A. (2024). Mental health and academic adjustment of international and refugee students. Poster, 24th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry, 14-17 November 2024.

♦ Soponaru, C., Chihai, J., Iorga, M., Arhiri, L., Gherman, M. A., Păduraru, A., Butnaru, S., Șchiopu, V., Bologan, A., & Eșanu, A. (2024). Contemporary challenges in student academic functioning: Diversity, health and quality of life. Poster, 8th Eastern European Conference of Mental Health „In and Out of Your Mind”, 4th International Congress of the SPNPPC, 10-13 October 2024.

2025

♦ Arhiri, L., Gherman, M. A., Păduraru, A., Soponaru, C., Butnaru, S., Iorga, M., Chihai, J., Bologan, A., Eșanu, A., & Șchiopu, V. (2025). Academic adjustment and mental health of international students in host countries: A qualitative exploration. Oral presentation, 11th International Conference on Applied Psychology and Educational Sciences, Iasi, 16-19 October 2025.

♦ Gherman, M. A., Păduraru, A., Soponaru, C., Butnaru, S., Iorga, M., Chihai, J., Bologan, A., Eșanu, A., & Șchiopu, V. (2025). The academic experience of refugee students in a host country: A qualitative approach. Oral presentation, 11th International Conference on Applied Psychology and Educational Sciences, Iasi, 16-19 October 2025.

♦ Eșanu, A., Arhiri, L., Bologan, A., Botnaru, S., Chihai, J., Gherman, M. A., Iorga, M., Păduraru, A., Șchiopu, V., & Soponaru, C. (2025). Adaptation and well-being of international students in host universities: Insights from a qualitative study. Oral presentation, Satellite Conference „New Horizons in Mental Health”, Anniversary Congress „80 Years of Innovation in Health and Medical Education”, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau, 20-23 October 2025.

♦ Soponaru, C., Păduraru, A.-E., Arhiri, L., Gherman, M.-A., Butnaru, S., Iorga, M., Chihai, J., Eșanu, A., Bologan, A., & Șchiopu, V. (2025). Psychosocial adjustment of Ukrainian refugees in Romania: Qualitative perspectives on trauma, resilience, and social integration. Oral presentation, Multidisciplinary Conference of the „Dr. Iacob Czihac” Military Clinical Emergency Hospital, Iasi, 6-8 November 2025.

2026

♦ Butnaru, S., Păduraru, A. E., Soponaru, C., Arhiri, L., & Gherman, M.-A. (2026). The role of acculturative stress and perceived insecurity in the adjustment of internationally mobile students. Poster, National Conference on Educational Research (CERED), „Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 17-19 September 2026.