Unknown author2024-11-062024-11-062024-08-26https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/14003Background We know that mental health poses a great challenge globally because it has been widely proven in literature that there is a burden of mental health issues, including depression among international postgraduate students due to several factors (Evans et al., 2018). The stressors of this burden range from socio-economic factors to others such as academic and personal well- being (Hosseinpur et al., 2023). Aims Based on this evidence, this research engaged international postgraduate students (IPS) in Queen Margaret University (QMU) Musselburgh, Scotland United Kingdom (UK) to: i. Identify the ways through which mental health (MHC) including depression influences their academic performance; ii. Its impact on their well-being and social interactions and iii. To explore the various coping mechanisms that they deploy to handle these challenges (for this study, the acronyms IPS, MHC, QMU and UK will be frequently used). . Methods A qualitative driven methodological approach through purposive sampling, using descriptive online survey with sixty-two respondents and four participants in a semi-structured interview was employed to conduct this study. Descriptive statistics of percentages were used to analyse the data on the JISC Online Survey platform. Results Most IPS experienced MHC after they began their postgraduate studies at QMU, and the most experienced MHC was stress. This arose out of the pressures of finding a balance between the academic workload, finding accommodation, financial security and the demands of adapting to and settling down in a new/ foreign environment far away from friends and family while balancing their well-being and social interactions. Self-help and family support was the most engaged coping mechanism by IPS and most of these postgraduate students also employ more than one coping mechanism to manage their MHC. Conclusion improving inclusive measures of ongoing guidance and support from the QMU authorities both within and outside the school vicinity for these set of students. An adjustment by the UK government in the policies guiding the regulations around IPS dependants and work permits should also be considered for easier and faster acclimatization. Further studies on IPS in the master's degree certificate category in smaller universities should be researched to help give a better understanding of how these set of students cope with MHC in their own contexts.