Determining the role of academic stress on the mental health of PUC students

Academic stress born out of high parental expectations, enormous academic workload, competition, the pressure of getting good marks & getting admission to good colleges is a set of factors unique to Indian society. This wreaks havoc on the self-esteem, the confidence of adolescents & affects the physical & mental health of adolescents. The present study was conducted to understand the determinants of academic stress on mental health of PUC students among different streams and across gender. The study was conducted on a sample of 300 PUC students, 150 boys & 150 Girls studying in Bangalore. Data was collected with the help of Strength and difficulties questionnaire by Goodman (1997) and Academic stress scale by Rajendran and Kaliappan (1970) The scores obtained were analyzed using suitable Non Parametric statistical techniques. The findings of the study reveal that there is a relationship between academic stress and mental health on certain dimensions. There is a significant difference in academic stress and mental health among students in different streams of Study. There are no significant gender differences for both the variables of academic stress and in mental health. The findings of the study highlight the need for policy makers, educationists& parents to take note of the impact of academic stress & take corrective steps to minimize the adverse effects of the same.