Comparative Study of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Across Students of Various Academic Streams

Abstract

Anxiety and depression are very common mental health disorders affecting a significant portion of the global population, with notable impacts on individuals’ well-being. Present research paper aims to investigate the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among university students, with a specific focus on the Science, Commerce, and Arts streams. In this paper, the researcher examined the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) among randomly selected students, with each respondent (based on their experience in the last one week) choosing between each score (0, 1, 2, 3) for depression, anxiety, and stress. The respondents include 134 responses out of which 66 males and 68 female students. 47 respondents from Commerce background, 45 respondents from arts background and 42 respondents from science background were included. The study utilized the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42) to assess these mental health conditions. It is a standardized tool developed by Lovibond and Lovibond (1997). The results revealed varying levels of severity across the three streams, with an alarming prevalence of “Extremely severe” anxiety among university students. Additionally, the Commerce stream exhibited a notable proportion of students experiencing “Moderate” depression and stress. Female students reported higher levels of anxiety, particularly in the “Extremely severe” category.