PREVALENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS AT MANIPUR UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The incidence of mental health problems among graduate students is a matter for concern. Stressful daily
university life brings about more mental health problems for students than for the general population:
living away from family, academic pressure, adjustment to a new culture and social norms, and making
new friends are contributing factors. Aims: The present study intends to assess the extent of mental health
problems among postgraduates of Manipur University and the part played by gender in the same.
Methods: This study was cross-sectional and based on a stratified random sampling method. A total of
1034 students were selected from six schools and various departments at Manipur University. A semi
structured questionnaire for socio-demographic information and GHQ-28 for assessment of mental health
status were used to gather the data. Results: 43% of the postgraduate students of Manipur University were
mentally healthy, whereas 57% were reported to have one or the other form of mental problems. Among
the affected, 26% suffered from mild, 46% from moderate, and 28% from severe distress. In addition,
there was a significant relationship between gender and mental health disorders (p-value=0.002), but not
for age groups. Results show that the experiences of distress were highest among female students (64%),
followed by male students (36%). Conclusion: It is concluded that 57% of the postgraduates of Manipur
University are suffering from some or another mental health problem, with an interesting finding that
more female students (64%) reported having higher levels of distress compared to male students.