A Study of Various Mental Health Factors among Boys and Girls Junior College Students

The study aims to examine the various mental health factors, including Emotional Stability (ES), Overall Adjustment (OA), Autonomy (AY), Security-Insecurity (SI), Self-Concept (SC), and Intelligence, among junior college students. A sample of 100 students (50 male and 50 female), aged between 18 to 20 years, from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, was selected using purposive sampling. The research employed the Mental Health Inventory (MHI) developed by Dr. Jagdish and Dr. A. K. Srivastav (1983) to assess mental health factors. The data were analyzed using the t-test to identify any significant differences between male and female students. The findings revealed that males scored significantly higher than females across most mental health dimensions, including emotional stability, overall adjustment, autonomy, self-concept, and intelligence. However, females exhibited higher levels of insecurity compared to males. These results suggest that male students in this sample tend to have better mental health in comparison to their female counterparts. The study highlights the importance of addressing gender differences in mental health and suggests that future research may further explore the underlying factors contributing to these disparities.