Psychological stress among gen z Malaysian students preparing for international education abroad

Dania Natasya, Nagayaya (2026) Psychological stress among gen z Malaysian students preparing for international education abroad. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

The increasing global mobility of students has highlighted the importance of international education, yet recent trends in Malaysia show a slight decline in outbound students from 56,468 in 2023 to 54,903 in 2024. This study aims to examine the factors influencing Generation Z’s psychological stress during the pre-departure stage of international education. Despite the strong desire for global exposure, a gap remains in understanding how psychological hurdles affect student readiness. Grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this research investigates the relationship between four key determinants which are financial concern, academic stress, acculturative stress, and food insecurity, and their impact on psychological stress. A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilising a structured online questionnaire distributed to Malaysian Generation Z respondents. A total of 155 valid responses were analysed using Multiple Linear Regression through SPSS. The findings reveal that food insecurity, academic stress, and financial concern significantly increase psychological stress, with food insecurity emerging as the most influential predictor. Conversely, acculturative stress was found to have a non-significant relationship with psychological stress in this specific pre-departure context. The results highlight that while Gen Z is globally minded, structural and emotional barriers such as affordability and resource access continue to hinder their mental preparedness. This research contributes to academic literature by focusing on the often-overlooked pre-departure phase and offers practical insights for universities and policymakers to develop better mental health support and pre-departure programs. Keywords: Psychological Stress, Generation Z, International Education, Study Abroad Readiness, Transactional Theory of Stress.

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