Prevalence and socio demographic correlations of anxiety, stress and depression among Undergraduate students of the Maldives National University

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.