A cross-sectional study on resilience, depression, anxiety, and stress among exam going students

Background: Adolescent age is a stage of several types of changes that affect all the domains such as physical, psychological, and social.  At this age, every individual has to face several types of psycho-social stressors including academic pressure and examination stresses. The present study was planned to find two objectives; (i) to assess and compare the level of resilience and the prevalence of psychiatric distress between male and female exam going adolescents, and (ii) to assess the correlation between resilience and psychiatric distress. Material and Methods: It was based on a cross-sectional research design. A total of 100 respondents fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly selected from some selected schools in Varanasi district. All the selected respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire including socio-demographic proforma, DASS-21, and Brief Resilience Scale. Results: Out of a total of 100 respondents 63 were male and the rests were female. The gender of the respondents was found significantly associated (p<0.05) with psychiatric distress such as stress and anxiety. The prevalence of stress and anxiety was found five times higher among females than males. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) found in the resilience, anxiety, and stress between males and females. Resilience was found negatively correlated with stress, anxiety, and depression. And there was a positive correlation found between stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that exam going adolescents are more prone to the prevalence of psychiatric distress such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Boosting the level of resilience through interventions can prevent them from mental illness.