Prevalence of Mental Health Problem and Its Associated Factors among College Students

Stress and depressive symptoms have a great impact on mental health. It is even more challenging in various levels like academics, changing culture, career, parental expectations, relationship issues etc. These factors can be overwhelming at some point where managing them becomes a struggle and can disrupt their daily functioning. The current study aims to understand the prevalence rate of stress and depression and gender difference among college going students and to see if there is a significant gender difference in their level of stress and depression. The sample consisted of 150 (73 boys and 78 girls) emerging adults attending college and aged between 18-22 years. The DASS 21 scale was administered to check the severity of stress and depression. Descriptive analysis of stress levels showed that a higher proportion of male students (65.75%) reported normal stress compared to females (55.84%). In contrast, elevated stress levels were more prevalent among female students, with 14.28% exhibiting mild, 11.68% moderate, and 15.58% severe stress, compared to 10.95%, 8.21%, and 8.21% respectively among males. Extremely severe stress was observed in 6.84% of males and 2.59% of females. Findings on depression revealed that 43.83% of males and 33.76% of females reported no depressive symptoms. However, females demonstrated higher proportions of moderate (22.07% vs. 16.43%), severe (19.48% vs. 15.06%), and extremely severe depression (9.09% vs. 6.84%) compared to males. Mild depression levels were comparable across genders. This shows that, the results highlight meaningful gender variations, with female students showing comparatively higher levels of both stress and depression. These findings underscore the importance of implementing gender-sensitive mental health interventions and preventive strategies within higher education settings to support student well-being.