Psychological Stress Factors Among Final-Year University Students in Bangladesh During the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Riffat Ara Zannat Tama¹Md Mahmudul Hoque²Md Sayemul Islam³Nazneen Imam⁴Mohammad Jahangir Alam^5*Dilshad Zahan Ethen⁵Andrew M. McKenzie⁶

• ¹Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
• ²Centre for Peace and Security, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
• ³Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, Montana State University, Bozeman, United States
• ⁴Department of Economics, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• ⁵Department of Agribusiness and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
• ⁶Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all aspects of human life, killing millions and destroying the economy, healthcare system, and educational system, to name a few. The Omicron variant-led wave trapped Bangladeshi university students in a predicament, delaying their graduation and preventing them from engaging in income-generating activities. This study offers a new attempt to investigate the psychological stress experienced by 494 Bangladeshi university students and the sources of that stress. Multiple linear regression analysis and PLS-SEM were used, with socioeconomic and psychological characteristics as independent variables. Relationship issues, scholastic delays, a lack of recreation, and poor internet connectivity were identified as significant sources of psychological stress. Our study is a novel effort to investigate the mental health of university students in Bangladesh. Indeed, our findings will not only represent the mental health of Bangladeshi students but also that of students from other developing countries. The results indicate that relationship issues, scholastic delays, lack of recreation, and poor internet connectivity are key contributors to psychological stress among university students. Using both multiple linear regression and PLS-SEM with socioeconomic and psychological factors as predictors, the study provides robust evidence of the multidimensional stressors affecting student well-being. Relationship complications emerged as the strongest predictor of psychological stress (β = 0.413, p < 0.001), followed by scholastic delays (β = 0.286, p = 0.010), lack of recreation (β = 0.118, p = 0.032), and poor family harmony (β = 0.114, p = 0.024). As one of the first systematic efforts to examine this issue in Bangladesh, the study underscores the urgent need for interventions from both governmental and non-governmental organizations. The insights may also extend to students in other developing nations facing similar socioeconomic and infrastructural challenges.