Loneliness among International Chinese Students in Germany: Exploring the Role of Personal Networks and Experienced Discrimination

The experience of loneliness is common among international students who study in a foreign country, away from their home. Loneliness refers to the difference between the actual and desired social relationships. In the context of international student mobility, feelings of loneliness may be influenced not only by having a ‘sufficient’ number of social ties, but also other study-abroad-related stressors such as discrimination and not being able to make new cross-national friendships. In this article, we explore the predictors of loneliness among Chinese international students in Germany by examining both their social networks and the difficulties they face while studying abroad. Through our analysis of a unique dataset, we discover that when international students have an equal number of emotionally supportive ties, those with larger networks tend to experience less loneliness compared to those with smaller networks. Furthermore, having a romantic partner is associated with lower levels of loneliness. Additionally, we find that international Chinese students who encounter discrimination and struggle to form cross-national friendships report higher levels of loneliness. By delving into these findings, our research contributes valuable insights to the Special Issue, offering a novel examination of personal networks among international students in Germany. Keywords: international student mobility, loneliness, personal networks, emotional support, friendship, discrimination, China, Germany