Perceived language discrimination and depressive symptoms among Chinese international students: the mediating role of academic stress and moderating roles of face concerns and social connectedness

The internationalization of higher education has led to an unprecedented flow of students across borders, with Chinese international students (CIS) representing the largest proportion of international students in South Korea. Although cultural proximity is often assumed to facilitate adaptation, language-related evaluative pressures may remain salient for the adjustment of CIS in culturally proximate mobility contexts. This study examined whether perceived language discrimination (PLD) was associated with depressive symptoms among CIS, focusing on the potential mediating role of academic stress (AS) and the moderating roles of face concerns (FC), Chinese-student connectedness, and Korean-student connectedness. Survey data were collected from 295 CIS. PLD was positively associated with depressive symptoms, with AS partially accounting for this association. In the moderated mediation model, the PLD–AS, AS–depressive symptoms, and PLD–depressive symptoms associations varied by levels of FC and Chinese-student connectedness, whereas only the PLD–AS association varied by levels of Korean-student connectedness. These findings suggest that PLD remains psychologically relevant among CIS even within a culturally proximate East Asian context, while its associations with AS and depressive symptoms are shaped by evaluative concerns and differentiated social connectedness. By examining PLD in South Korea, this study extends existing research beyond Western contexts and highlights the importance of evaluative and relational contexts of language use in understanding international students’ psychological adaptation.