Page 95 - GHES-3-2

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Student anxiety/stress/depression

have naturally structured their lives with children, as commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents (Beesdo
confirmed by a survey conducted in the USA, in which et al., 2009).
22% of undergraduate students who participated were also Conversely, stress signifies a reaction to external
parents (Cruse et al., 2019) confronted with the challenges stimuli (Ρέππα, 2018) and causes biological reactions
of balancing studies and family life. Student life is a source in several organs and organ structures areas such as the
of stress that particularly affects the family, financial, and brain or the endocrine system (APA, 2018). Cortisol is the
educational life of students (Bulo & Sanchez, 2014) and main hormone involved in stress; it travels throughout
causes half of the student community to self-identify as the body and affects the bodily tissues in numerous ways
depressed at some point in their educational journey (Furr (Herman et al., 2016). Chronic stress creates an unnatural
et al., 2001). Factors that can cause stress can emanate from biochemical environment in human bodies, affecting the
educational facilities or personal environments (Yikealo programmed life cycle of cells, probably causing cancer,
et al., 2018), and relate to attempts by students to avoid and triggering self-immune diseases among other effects
academic, socioeconomic, and personal failure (Pariat (Tournier et al., 2000). Post-traumatic stress disorder has
et al., 2014). In addition, a study conducted in Romania been found to affect the general population and is linked
evidenced that working students exhibited higher levels to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (APA, 2013;
of stress and recorded lower academic performances than Pfefferbaum, 1997; Roussos et al., 2005).
students who did not work (Săvescu et al., 2017). Dr. Loukia
Dimitriou et al. (2020) confirmed the negative effects of The mental state of depression manifests as
work stress on the studies and academic performance prolonged sadness that affects a person’s focus and
of working students in Greece and Cyprus. They related mental endurance, evokes thoughts of guilt, and causes
such effects to the free time accorded to students and their a general lack of interest (Ουλής, 2010). The Diagnostic
awareness of relaxation techniques. Finally, Norwegian and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)
scholars Hans Bonesrønning and Leiv Opstad (2012) includes Major Depression Disorder (MDD) and
found a positive correlation between study time and records the following symptoms among other indicators:
academic performance, reinforcing the hypothesis that the insomnia or oversleeping, significant weight loss,
less study time students get, the more anxious they become depression, tiredness, feelings of guilt, lack of focus, and
about exam success. absence of pleasure (Truschel, 2022). According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), 3.8% of the global
This study aimed to detect and investigate the impact
exerted by the existence of minor children on the population suffers from depression, and women suffer
examination preparation of their parents who are also from this state more than men (“Depressive disorder,”
students. Anxiety, stress, and depression adversely affect 2023). Notably, grieving is not deemed a disorder even
the daily functioning of people in increasing numbers. though it does incorporate moments of depression. In
Therefore, mental health professionals as well as societies at contrast, MDD entails a constant state of depression
large purpose to prevent and treat these conditions. Varied (Freud, 1917a). Aaron Beck (1987) presented a model
proven ways exist of tackling these mental states and these titled the Beck Depression Triad, which describes how
means should be integrated into societies to enhance the people with depression think about themselves, others,
mental states of human beings. and the future.
Anxiety is linked to early maladaptive schemas (Αγγελή,
1.1. Anxiety–Stress–Depression 2015), and most extant studies suggest that cognitive
The emotion of anxiety is thought to cause apprehension behavioral therapy (CBT) and prescribed drugs help to
and tension, which instigate somatic changes such alleviate this emotion (Stein & Sareen, 2015; Bandelow
as increased blood pressure (APA, 2018). Anxiety is et al., 2017). Stress disorders are believed to derive
widespread in everyday human life and has been frequently from exposure to traumatic events, and trauma-focused
depicted in the literature by authors such as Tolstoy CBT, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing,
(1882/2019), Yalom (1980/2020), and Freud (1930/2011). and mindfulness practices (Mindfulness-Based Stress
Of course, it must also be noted that anxiety represents a Reduction, MBSR) are among the many ways of dealing
survival mechanism linked to areas in the brain such as with stress disorders. Depression is linked to genetics,
the amygdala that process particular situations (Kandel, neurobiological, cognitive, and social factors (Goldstein &
1983). In the domain of mental states, anxiety denotes Devries, 2017), and is often managed through prescribed
the sensing of fear without any stimuli (Merrel, 2008). drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Anxiety disorders constitute 20% of the mental disorders (SSRIs), CBT, and mindfulness practices (Harrington,
in the general population (Antony, 2010) and are most 2005; Sipe & Eisendrath, 2012).

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 87 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.4906