Depression peaking among university students over job prospects: Study

When it comes to life in a post-Covid era, what the university students in Bangladesh worry about most is their future job prospects. This is what is taking a toll on their mental health.

These are the findings of a study conducted by Md Jamal Uddin, a teacher of the statistics faculty of Shajalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), and his three students -- Upama Chowdhury, Md Ahosan Habib Suvro and Syed Md Farhan.

The study was conducted from October 2020 to February 2021 through an online survey at 62 universities across the country. Respondents were asked if they were really worried about getting a job in the future and whether that was taking a toll on their mental health.

A total of 516 students participated in the survey, the results of which have been published in an international journal.

According to the study, 80 per cent of the respondents reported having depression and 70 per cent complained of stress. Of them, female students seemed to be the most depressed ones as compared to their male peers.

Among 516 participants, 380 (73.6 per cent) were males and 136 (26.4 per cent) females. While 414 (80.2 per cent) participants had mild to severe depression, 399 (77.3 per cent) reported having low to moderately perceived stress.

Female students were 2.1 (95 per cent) times more depressed and 3.6 (95 per cent) times more stressed than their male counterparts, according to the study.

Students, who thought that delaying graduation due to the Covid-19 pandemic would reduce their chances of getting a job, were 1.72 (95 per cent) times more depressed.

Respondents, whose department offered internships were 36 per cent less depressed, while skilled students were 46 per cent less stressed though it was not statistically significant, the study pointed out.

The study also suggested that universities can provide mental health programmes and strive to have enough space for students to participate in internships.

In addition, the government and educational institutions should work together to address this growing challenge of mental health risk, according to the authors.