Academic stress interventions in international higher education: Global insights and challenges for Chinese universities

Abstract

Academic stress has become a critical issue in higher education, significantly affecting students’ mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. While international research has structured and empirically supported interventions, such as mindfulness training and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), practical challenges remain in Chinese universities. These challenges include the lack of targeted interventions specifically addressing academic stress, insufficient mental health resources, a lack of culturally grounded and empirically supported intervention programs, limited integration of technological tools, and consistently low levels of student engagement. This narrative review analyzes and compares empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 on academic stress interventions in both international and Chinese higher education contexts. It identifies the main types and strategies of academic stress interventions and highlights the key challenges encountered in their implementation within the context of Chinese higher education. Based on the findings, this paper proposes five key recommendations for academic stress intervention in Chinese universities: (1) establishing academic stress as a distinct focus of intervention; (2) enhancing investment and improving regional coordination of mental health resources; (3) integrating culturally relevant elements into intervention design; (4) promoting the application of digital technologies for stress management; and (5) fostering a supportive, stigma-free campus environment. These strategies aim to support Chinese universities in developing proactive, preventive, and culturally responsive systems for managing academic stress, thereby promoting students’ mental well-being and academic success.