Mental Health and College Students

Prof ST Janetius
St. John College, Dimapur


October 10 is World mental health day. World Health Organization defines mental health as the state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to his or her community. 


College students are a special population. It is because they are in the latter adolescent period as well as early adulthood. American psychologist Erikson beautifully explains this as the period of identity creation. This adolescence-early adulthood period is a complex phase of quarter-life transition that determines the future success and failure of a person. More than any other social setting, colleges play a crucial role in the wellbeing of this population.


Coming to mental health concerns, college students are in the process of cognitive, emotional, social, psychological and behavioral development. A perfect secondary school student, committed and focused on the studies, slowly faces many challenges as he/she enters college. The likes and dislikes change; it becomes more adapted to popular culture and many more new symptoms emerge. Parents often wonder what went wrong and often blame the choice of friends. A high rate of absenteeism in college, poor academic performance, depression and suicidal tendencies, substance abuse, premarital sex, abortion, interpersonal tensions with peers, constant conflict with parents, rebellious nature towards authorities, engaging in gangs for violent behaviors; all these signs are some sort of confusion unique to this stage. Psychologist Erikson sees this as an identity crisis. It is a crisis because they make a clean break from the previous stage to form an identity of their own and move towards adulthood thinking that they can do anything and everything. A major source of inspiration in their identity creation at this stage and process of development is gained from association with peers in the college campus and also from heroes in the popular culture.


Another issue that needs to mention about this age group is self-esteem. Self-esteem is to hold oneself in high esteem, feeling worthy of a good life and good treatment by others; conscious about their appearances, like to be attracted by the opposite sex, particular about their acceptance in peer-group, active involvement in the social groups, and similar features that would give some recognition and self-worth. The concept of mental health comes in this backdrop of their developmental dilemma and identity crisis.


What are the major mental health concerns these college students face in Nagaland and what could be the solution?


Recent research on the mental health problems of college students in Nagaland sponsored by St. John College, done by three students Asenla Jamir, Tiasenla Walling and Temsulila Longchari of English Department brings out some interesting facts. The data from 441 students from different colleges of Nagaland identifies three major categories of problems faced by college students, leading to mental health problems: from parents and teachers, from friends and peers and finally, personal struggles. 


72% of the students feel that their parents and other related people compare them with others and belittle them. This affects their self-esteem leading to depression. A similar number of students (74 %) felt a lack of self-worth when parental interference in personal decision making curtails their freedom and independence. An overly protective parenting and strict, intimidating approaches are very high (81%) among Naga parents. Another area of great concern is the teacher-student relationship. More than 60% of the students do not feel comfortable to share their problems with teachers. The students expect their teachers and elders to be more considerate and friendly rather than an authoritarian. This leads to a lack of role-models in their vicinity and to look for heroes outside.


The second stressor leading to mental health problems is peer relationships; it is a struggle to maintain good friends personally, socially and emotionally for nearly 70% of the students. Moderate peer pressure is felt by the students (42%), and it leads to poor academic performance and bad habits. As far as bad habits are concerned more than 30% of the boys have drinking habits and 90% of the time they drink in the company of their friends; less than 2% revealed that they use drugs. More than 30% use pan and gutkha products, to the extent of addiction. 


The third source of mental health problems is their personal problems which come from different sources. One serious concern is the relationship with the opposite sex. Nearly 40% of the students have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, which becomes a cause of tension, depression, and worries. Physical and emotional abuse in the relationship is not high (13%), however, 36% of the students felt that they should come out of the relationship. Another complex personal problem is time management and the use of social media. Nearly 70% of the students spend more than 3 hours on social media through mobile phones, mainly for entertainment purposes (72%) and, 67% of students experience sleep-related problems. Both these two problems knitted together lead to poor academic performance, procrastination of important tasks and less achievement motivation. The third personal problem is anxiety about future jobs and economic security/prosperity. Nearly 82% of the students face this when they seriously think about their life and future. As regards their job preference, 35% of the students have no preference at all. This is a frightful sign because the higher education institutions and teachers need to orient the students and make them comfortable about their future life. Besides these, the Naga political identity and the related struggle, the role of the state in providing job and security too cause stress for some students. 


Seeking help when college students have problems is a major concern. The majority of the students (51%) seek help from their friends and peers who are less equipped to help them. Seeking assistance from parents is also minimal. The good news is that for many students praying (57%) and talking to their friends (35%) are the two major stress relievers. One should be thankful to Christianity in providing this orientation to the younger generation. Unlike the developed countries, counseling and other psychological facilities are not fully available in Nagaland and, many colleges lack counseling services to guide and help these young people.


What could be done to improve the mental health conditions of college students? A simple solution is to understand college students in their developmental dilemma and accept them as they are. Parents and teachers need an empathic approach towards them in guiding rather than condemning them. Sufficient assistance should be provided by psychological counseling at colleges and churches where ever the students feel comfortable. Ample opportunities should be provided to explore their world so that a clear identity can be created about self and future life. Above all, the students themselves should understand the identity struggles of their development and come forward to seek assistance whenever needed and wherever available. 


The writer is a Counseling Psychologist graduated from De La Salle University, Manila. Currently he is the Principal of St. John College, Dimapur. 
Email: dr.janetius@gmail.com