Abstract:
Early adulthood is a transitional period of life and is associated with the onset
of a substantial amount of mental health issues and the continuation of these issues across
life span. A large proportion of this population are students who have to deal with the
societal and academic demands on a daily basis and hence are more susceptible to develop
mental health issues than the non-student population. The high prevalence of psychological
issues, specifically, depression, anxiety and stress among the student population is a major
concern worldwide as it results in many negative consequences such as poor academic
performance, increased rates of substance use, and even suicide. Thus, this study was aimed
to find out the prevalence of these mental health issues; stress, depression and anxiety
among the student population of Maldives National University (MNU) in relation to
socio-demographic factors such as gender, year of study and location of study (Campus).
A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based descriptive survey was conducted among 932
students of 4 different campuses of MNU. The questionnaire used to collect data included
demographic information and DASS-42. The findings of this study suggest that whilst
the majority of the student population has normal levels of depression, and stress, a
considerable proportion of the student population are experiencing moderate to extremely
severe levels of, depression and stress. More than 58% of the students were found to be
experiencing moderate to severe level of anxiety. The findings also suggest that female
students have higher prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress.A significant proportion
of MNU students are suffering from stress, depression and anxiety. The study suggests the
importance of conducting awareness programs of mental illness and treatment, with a
particular focus on prevention and control of stress, depression and anxiety.
