Study of Academic Stress and Neuropsychological Dysfunction in Indian Adolescents with Exposure to Noise Pollution

Abstract

An increasing number of cross-sectional studies suggest that environmental noise exposure adversely affects adolescents’ cognitive and psychological functioning; however, studies specific to certain regions remain limited. This research explored how prolonged exposure to noise in school settings relates to academic stress and neuropsychological dysfunction in adolescents. The study evaluated school adolescents aged 13–15 from high-noise (n = 61) and low-noise (n = 59) regions in Delhi and Jammu, India. They were administered the Scale for Assessing Academic Stress (SAAS), Weinstein’s Noise Sensitivity Scale (WNSS), and a neuropsychological battery to evaluate sustained attention, concentration, and working memory across verbal and visuospatial domains. The findings revealed that adolescents from high-noise areas experienced significantly elevated academic stress and reduced neuropsychological performance compared to those from low-noise regions, as evidenced by Independent Samples T-tests. In Pearson’s correlation analysis, significant associations were found between noise sensitivity, academic stress, and subtests of neuropsychological dysfunction.  This study highlights the detrimental impact of school-based environmental noise on adolescents’ stress levels and cognitive functioning in the Indian context. The results highlight the urgent need for effective noise control measures and policy-level interventions to protect adolescents’ cognitive development and mental health.