Testing social determinants of mental stress among university students in a developing country: The case of Bangladesh

Mental stress among university students is an important public health concern, yet evidence from South Asian developing-country contexts remains limited. This study examined demographic, academic, social, lifestyle, and socioeconomic correlates of mental stress among 760 university students in Bangladesh. Mental stress was assessed using a five-point single-item global rating. Nine hypotheses were evaluated through multiple linear regression, while gender, year of study, and global perceived support were included as control variables. Social media usage and dietary habits were examined only at the bivariate level. Overall, 38.2% of participants reported high or very high mental stress. The regression model was statistically significant, F(12, 747) = 2.34, p = .006, but explained a limited proportion of the variance, R² = .036, adjusted R² = .021. Academic pressure was positively associated with mental stress, standardized beta = .11, p = .003, as were financial concerns, standardized beta = .09, p = .023. Age, CGPA, family support, friend support, institutional support, sleep quality, and physical activity were not significant predictors. Accordingly, two of the nine hypotheses were supported. Social media usage and dietary habits were also not significantly correlated with mental stress. The findings indicate that academic and financial pressures are modest but significant correlates of mental stress in this sample. Because of the low explained variance and reliance on single-item measures, the results should be interpreted cautiously.