Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Front Public Health. 2023 Apr 26;11:1136557. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1136557. eCollection 2023.
Intense academic pressure and unhealthy competition have turned the university entrance exam scenario in Bangladesh into a Pandora's Box, which might cause mental health difficulties among young students. However, there is a severe scarcity of studies concerning such issues of university entrance examination-seeking students in Bangladesh.
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression symptoms, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate entrance admission-seeking students in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study design was followed using an online tool including socio-demographic questions, and the 21-item Bangla Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (BDASS-21). The survey form was completed by 452 Bangladeshi students who passed the higher secondary certificate (HSC) examination in 2020 and were planning to get admission to the undergraduate level during the data collection.
The prevalence of mild to extremely severe levels of depression symptoms, anxiety, and stress was 57.7%, 61.4%, and 44.6%, respectively. Females were more likely to have depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than males. The students from science backgrounds were at higher risk of developing depression and stress symptoms when compared with students from business studies backgrounds. Besides, students with a previous history of mental illness, a preference for getting admitted into the public university, and less monthly family income (<25,000 BDT) were more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. In addition, students with a previous history of neurological disorders were more likely to develop anxiety symptoms than those without.
This study revealed a high level of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among undergraduate entrance admission-seeking students, which calls for in-depth exploratory investigations. Adequate low-intensity interventions should be designed to support this young population.
激烈的学术压力和不健康的竞争使孟加拉国的大学入学考试场景变成了潘多拉的盒子，这可能会给年轻学生带来心理健康问题。然而，关于孟加拉国大学入学考试寻求者的此类问题的研究严重匮乏。
本研究旨在评估孟加拉国本科入学申请学生中抑郁症状、焦虑和压力的患病率及相关因素。采用横断面研究设计，使用包括社会人口统计学问题和 21 项孟加拉语抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（BDASS-21）的在线工具。该调查表格由 452 名在 2020 年通过高中证书（HSC）考试并计划在数据收集期间入读本科的孟加拉国学生填写。
轻度至重度抑郁症状、焦虑和压力的患病率分别为 57.7%、61.4%和 44.6%。女性比男性更容易出现抑郁、焦虑和压力症状。与商业研究背景的学生相比，理科背景的学生更有可能出现抑郁和压力症状。此外，有精神病史、偏好进入公立大学和月家庭收入较低（<25,000 BDT）的学生更容易出现抑郁、焦虑和压力症状。此外，有神经病史的学生比没有神经病史的学生更容易出现焦虑症状。
本研究揭示了本科入学申请学生中存在较高水平的抑郁、焦虑和压力症状，这需要进行深入的探索性调查。应设计足够的低强度干预措施来支持这一年轻人群。
