Mental Health Challenges and Their Impact on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Social Work Students in Bangladesh: A Cross- Sectional Study

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65496/jssme.2026.105

Keywords:

Academic performance, depression, anxiety, DASS-21, Social Work students; Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Depression, anxiety, and stress can interfere with concentration, attendance, motivation, assignment completion, and academic persistence. Evidence on undergraduate social work students in Bangladesh is limited. Objective: This analytical manuscript demonstrates the feasibility of using a well-designed cross-sectional study to assess mental health problems and their associations with school performance. Methods: A dataset of 425 cases was created to reflect stratified sampling of 85 undergraduate social work students from each of 5 public universities. Demographic, socioeconomic, academic, lifestyle, support, field placement, help-seeking, and 21 DASS item codes were included. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, chi-square tests, correlation, analysis of variance, multiple linear regression, and logistic regression were used. Internal consistency was acceptable to excellent for all DASS-21 subscales: depression α=.807; anxiety α=.788; stress α=.831; and full DASS-21 α=.926. Results: Prevalence of moderate or higher levels was 51.3% for depression, 57.4% for anxiety, 29.4% for stress, and 46.5% for the full DASS-21. CGPA correlated negatively with depression (r=-.353), anxiety (r=-.376), and stress (r=-.331), all p<.001. The adjusted models also showed that higher symptom scores were associated with lower CGPA and a higher risk of academic functioning. Conclusion: The analysis shows consistency in study and reporting.

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2026-09-15

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Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026)

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Copyright (c) 2026 Abu Zihad, Shraboni Halder (Author)

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How to Cite

Zihad, A., & Shraboni Halder. (2026). Mental Health Challenges and Their Impact on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Social Work Students in Bangladesh: A Cross- Sectional Study. Journal of Social Science and Multidisciplinary Enquiry, 2(2), 33-50. https://doi.org/10.65496/jssme.2026.105