Impact of Levels of Education on Depression and Anxiety in Iranian Students

Abstract

Depression and anxiety had been among the most common mental health concerns reported in students across academic levels. With increased globalization, the influx of international students pursuing various professional courses in different countries has increased manifold in recent years. A bulk of research investigating the factors that affect health and adjustment of international students describe the unique challenges faced by them in adapting to new cultural environment and making successful transition. The present research focused on examining depression and anxiety among male and female Iranian students in India. The study sample consisted 300 male and 300 female students totaling to 600 students who were pursuing graduate, post graduate, doctoral, and post-doctoral degrees. Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 2001) and IPAT Anxiety scale (Cattel, Krug, & Scheier, 1976) were used to assess depression and anxiety; respectively. Results indicated that education level did not have a significant impact on depression and anxiety implying that Iranian students in India experience similar levels of depression and anxiety irrespective of their varied educational background. However, gender-wise comparison reveals a statistically significant difference, with female students reporting higher rates of depression and anxiety than their male counterparts. Therefore, it is necessary to address depression and anxiety at the earliest during college years so as to arrest their negative impact on academic outcomes.