Study pressure caused mental illness among 75.85% students

A total of 75.85 per cent of students suffered from various types of mental health problems due to academic pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic while 34.15 per cent thought about committing suicide, a survey has revealed.

Session jams caused by long breaks, reluctance to study, disappointment with exam results, and not understanding lectures were reported as the key reasons behind academic pressure.

The survey also found that 46.65 per cent of students experienced decreased concentration in studies compared to the pre-coronavirus period.

Besides, 10.3 per cent of university students reported they had to take frequent exams and could not adapt to that. 12.44 per cent of students faced problems as they had to cover a big syllabus within a short time.

The results of the survey conducted among 1,640 students were published in a virtual meeting on Saturday. Aachol Foundation conducted the survey titled “The Suicidal Propensity of University Students and The Impact of Academic Pressure on Their Mental Health.”

Abdul Wahab, an assistant professor at North South University and a researcher at Aachol Foundation, published the survey findings.

Mahmudur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Psychology Association, Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan, assistant professor in the Institute of Education and Research at Jagannath University, and Tansen Rose, founder president of Aachol Foundation, were present in the meeting, among others.

During the survey, 20.73 per cent of the participants said they could not understand what they were reading as they had to complete a large syllabus within a short period.

Moreover, 6.71 per cent said they were not able to spend time with their families due to study pressure, which caused them emotional pain.

According to the survey, 74.51 per cent of students could not talk to teachers to share their mental health problems. On the other hand, 25.49 per cent of students were able to discuss these problems with their teachers.

The survey said the students unable to share their problems with teachers experienced a negative effect on their mental health in terms of personality change and self-confidence.

During the survey, 2.44 per cent of the participants said they tried to commit suicide but failed.

Also, 4.76 per cent said they backed out at the last minute despite arranging suicide materials.

The survey made some recommendations for addressing the problems, including clearing session jams by reducing the extra syllabus and completing exams on time, making learning fun and practical, designing job market-oriented syllabi, and recruiting psychologists in universities urgently.