‘60-65% of school-going adolescents suffering from academic related stress in Kashmir’

Srinagar, Nov 27: At least 60-65% of school-going adolescents are suffering from academic related stress in Kashmir, reveals a study conducted by Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) Srinagar.

The study, titled "Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among school-going adolescents in the age group of 13–19 years," assessed the mental health of students in 16 schools in Srinagar and Ganderbal, including eight government schools and eight private schools.

The findings of the study indicate a concerning trend of academic stress among Class 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th class students, with a significant percentage of students experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Among the 97 students who had any kind of psychiatric morbidity, 70% were in the age group of 13–16 years and 55% were males. 52% belonged to rural areas and almost 43% had middle socio-economic status. Fifty-four percent belonged to private schools and 26% had a family history of any psychiatric illness.

Besides these, 13.7% of these students had depressive disorder, 4.0% had obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder was prevalent among 1.4% students, self-harming behaviour among 2.5%, generalized anxiety disorder among 2.5%, social anxiety disorder 2.2%, dysthymia 1.7%, and adjustment disorder among 0.8% student.

Dr Ubaid Rasool, Consultant, Psychiatry, IMHANS-K told Greater Kashmir that exposure to social adversities, relationship issues, and gender role stress were prevalent among the students.

“Notably, females faced gender role stress, particularly related to domestic responsibilities. The rapid modernization and urbanization in the region contributed to parental time constraints and social isolation, affecting the mental health of students,” he said.

Dr Rasool said that there is urgency of addressing these issues. “There is a need for a comprehensive approach involving educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals to create a supportive environment for the youth,” he said.

Dr Yasir Hassan, Professor at IMHANS told Greater Kashmir that there are high rates of psychological issues in school going adolscence like depression, anxiety and self harm behaviour . "As a parent and teacher we need to be concerned about the significant mental health burden the intense academic pressure is putting on teenagers," he said.

He said that at an age when students should be nurturing their self identity and developing self-assurance, such worrying statistics point to a systemic issue with how education is imparted and evaluated in the education system .

"While competition and a stressful curriculum are major factors, the role of tuition culture and parental pressures for academic excellence cannot be ignored. Moving forward, it is critical we have open conversations on student workloads, evaluation mechanisms, parental expectations and on equipping school counselors to address this crisis," he said.

Dr Yasir said that as part of a multi-pronged response, schools need to proactively monitor student mental health status, provide accessible counseling , impart stress management skills and actively encourage non-academic growth opportunities.

The study has been conducted by Majid Shafi, Neelofar Younis, Ubaid Rasool, Sabah Younis, Yasir Hassan Rather, Burhan Bashir Lone, Fazle Roub Bhat and Athiya Fahiem Khan.