The Burden of University Life: Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among Undergraduates

Mental health concerns among university students have been widely recognized as a growing issue, particularly in relation to stress, anxiety, and depression. This study examines the burden of stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students at Gopalganj Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey design was used with 372 students selecting through convenience sampling. The study employed the Bangla version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) to measure psychological distress. Results revealed significant positive correlations between stress, anxiety, and depression. Results also showed 74.20%, 80.38% and 81.18% undergraduate students experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Gender differences were observed, with female students reporting higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression compared to males. Additionally, a significant increase in psychological distress was noted across academic years, with fourth-year students exhibiting the highest levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Findings indicated that these differences were particularly pronounced between first- and fourth-year students. Findings further demonstrated that stress significantly predicted depression, accounting for a substantial proportion of the variance. When anxiety was added, the explanatory power increased, highlighting the combined impact of stress and anxiety on depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health interventions for university students, particularly those in higher academic years and female students. Addressing stress and anxiety through proactive support strategies could mitigate their impact on depression and enhance students' overall well-being.

stress, anxiety, depression, university students, gender differences, academic year

1. Alim, S. M., Kibria, S. M., Islam, M. J., Uddin, M. Z., Nessa, M., Wahab, M. A., & Islam, M. M. (2014). Translation of DASS 21 into Bangla and validation among medical students. Bangladesh Journal of Psychiatry, 28(2), 67–70. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Barnaby, B. (2015). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual. Occupational Medicine, 65(9), 766. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqv128 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Chen, N.-H., Liu, L.-M., Liu, H., Hsieh, C., & Tsai, C.-C. (2022). Psychological distress among first-year health science students in Taiwan. Heliyon, 8(8). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10121 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Dryden, W. (2021). New directions in rational emotive behaviour therapy. Routledge eBooks. Informa. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003081593 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Farrer, L. M., Gulliver, A., Bennett, K., Fassnacht, D. B., & Griffiths, K. M. (2016). Demographic and psychosocial predictors of major depression and generalised anxiety disorder in Australian university students. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1). BioMed Central. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016- 0961-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Fauzi, M. F., Anuar, T. S., Teh, L. K., Lim, W. F., James, R. J., Ahmad, R., Mohamed, M., Bakar, S. H. A., Yusof, F. Z. M., & Salleh, M. Z. (2021). Stress, anxiety and depression among a cohort of health sciences undergraduate students: The prevalence and risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3269. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063269 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Goodman, L. A. (1954). Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests for psychological research. Psychological Bulletin, 51(2), 160–168. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Harith, S., Backhaus, I., Mohbin, N., Ngo, H., & Khoo, S. (2022). Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: An umbrella review [Review of Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: An umbrella review]. PeerJ, 10. PeerJ, Inc. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13111 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Hewitt, P. L., Flett, G. L., & Mosher, S. (1992). The Perceived Stress Scale: Factor structure and relation to depression symptoms in a psychiatric sample. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 14(3), 247. Springer Science+Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00962631 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Idaris, R. M., Shah, N. A., Ong, M. H. A., & Abdullah, S. F. (2022). Exploring the impact of stressors on academic performance among higher education students. European Proceedings of Multidisciplinary Sciences, 3, 225. https://doi.org/10.15405/epms.2022.10.23 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Kircanski, K., LeMoult, J., Ordaz, S. J., & Gotlib, I. H. (2016). Investigating the nature of co-occurring depression and anxiety: Comparing diagnostic and dimensional research approaches [Review of Investigating the nature of co-occurring depression and anxiety: Comparing diagnostic and dimensional research approaches]. Journal of Affective Disorders, 216, 123. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Ladejo, J. (2021). A thematic analysis of the reported effect anxiety has on university students. Education and Urban Society, 55(3), 289. SAGE Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245211062512 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Lee, J. M., Jeong, H. J., & Kim, S. (2021). Stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic and their use of mental health services. Innovative Higher Education, 46(5), 519. Springer Science+Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-021- 09552-y [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Lemma, A., Target, M., & Fonagy, P. (2011). Brief dynamic interpersonal therapy: A clinician’s guide. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety & Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Sydney: Psychology Foundation. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?type=supplementary&id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0219193.s004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Marzouqi, A. A., Otim, M., Alblooshi, A., Marzooqi, S. A., Talal, M., & Wassim, F. (2022). State of emotional health disorders of undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional survey. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 1423. Dove Medical Press. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s365012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Mofatteh, M. (2020). Risk factors associated with stress, anxiety, and depression among university undergraduate students. AIMS Public Health, 8(1), 36. AIMS Press. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2021004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Parsons, D., Gardner, P., Parry, S., & Smart, S. (2021). Mindfulness-based approaches for managing stress, anxiety and depression for health students in tertiary education: A scoping review [Review of Mindfulness-based approaches for managing stress, anxiety and depression for health students in tertiary education: A scoping review]. Mindfulness, 13(1), 1. Springer Science+Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021- 01740-3 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Radeef, A. S., & Faisal, G. G. (2017). Psychological distress and sources of stressors amongst medical and science undergraduate students in Malaysia. Makara Journal of Health Research, 21(2). University of Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.7454/msk.v21i2.6697 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Radley, J. J., Kabbaj, M., Jacobson, L., Heydendael, W., Yehuda, R., & Herman, J. P. (2011). Stress risk factors and stress-related pathology: Neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and endophenotypes [Review of Stress risk factors and stress-related pathology: Neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and endophenotypes]. Stress, 14(5), 481–494. Informa. https://doi.org/10.3109/10253890.2011.604751 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Rodgers, J., Cuevas, A. G., Williams, D. R., Kawachi, I., & Subramanian, S. V. (2021). The relative contributions of behavioral, biological, and psychological risk factors in the association between psychosocial stress and all-cause mortality among middle- and older-aged adults in the USA. GeroScience, 43(2), 655. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-020-00319-5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Rodríguez-Besteiro, S., Tornero-Aguilera, J. F., Fernández‐Lucas, J., & Clemente‐Suárez, V. J. (2021). Gender differences in the COVID-19 pandemic risk perception, psychology, and behaviors of Spanish university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 3908. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18083908 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Talaie, M., Mohammadi, Y., & Raeisoon, M. (2024). The effects of resilience training on mental health among students. Modern Care Journal, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. (4). https://doi.org/10.5812/mcj-143805 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Thomas, J. C., & Segal, D. L. (2006). Comprehensive handbook of personality and psychopathology. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Wells, A., & Fisher, P. L. (2016). Treating depression: MCT, CBT, and third-wave therapies. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Yang, C., Gao, H., Li, Y., Wang, E., Wang, N., & Wang, Q. (2022). Analyzing the role of family support, coping strategies and social support in improving the mental health of students: Evidence from post COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. Frontiers Media. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1064898 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Patriarchy and Gender Roles in Shobhaa De's Second Thoughts and Easterine Kire’s Life on Hold
• Comparative Effects of Zeolite and Fly Ash on Soil Properties and Agricultural Productivity
• Assessing Interrelationships among Banking Satisfaction, Cooperative Perspectives and Rural Service Beliefs in Cooperative Banking in Northern Nigeria
• High-Performance Alloys and Composites’ Applications in Production Engineering
• Integrating Tidal Energy into Sub-Saharan Africa’s Power Mix: A Strategic Framework for Renewable Energy Expansion