Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among Unemployed Graduates of Political Science and Psychology: A Comparative Study

The present study aimed to address a gap in the literature within the cultural context of Pakistan by investigating the mean differences in stress, anxiety, and depression among unemployed graduates of Political Science and Psychology. The study employed a cross-sectional comparative correlational research design and utilized a snowball sampling technique. The inclusion criteria required participants to be at least 22 years of age, hold a degree in Political Science or Psychology, and have remained unemployed for at least one year. Out of 160 distributed questionnaires, 115 participants completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 71.87%. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) were used to measure the study variables. The findings revealed stress was positively and significantly associated with depression; however, the relationship between stress and anxiety was positive but not significant. Furthermore, anxiety had a positive and significant association with depression. Furthermore, the independent samples t-test demonstrated that unemployed Political Science graduates scored significantly higher on anxiety than their Psychology graduate counterparts, whereas the mean differences for stress and depression were found to be non-significant. Therefore, the study hypothesis was partially supported. These findings highlight the importance of providing career support and mental health interventions for unemployed graduates in Pakistan, particularly for those experiencing higher levels of anxiety.