The Green Pencil Foundation โ an NGO with a pan-India presence โ recently conducted a survey on the mental health and wellness of Siddharth Madhyamik Vidyalaya students from the rural areas of Ambivali near Kalyan. The study, with a sample size of 100 teens in the age group of 13-14 years from underprivileged backgrounds, revealed that one out of five students has looked for online resources to deal with anxiety or depression.
๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ท๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Survey statistics indicate that 64.2% of the students felt the leading cause of stress and anxiety is issues and quarrels with peers at school. Moreover, the stress caused by family issues and school work is comparably lower.
๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐
According to survey conductor Rakshita Manglani, despite studies not being the leading cause of mental health issues, 89% of students felt overburdened. Additionally, 87.5% occasionally found it uncomfortable to talk about their mental health issues to anyone and instead, chose to be by themselves. Manglani observed that boys were more reluctant to open up about their issues compared to girls.
โOur survey has highlighted the need for effective mental health resources and support for the younger generation. Teachers and parents need to work together to address the stress and pressure students feel, particularly in regard to exams,โ she said, adding that efforts must be made to bridge the gap between students and their parents, while more open communication about mental health should be encouraged.
The Green Pencil Foundation is scheduled to conduct similar surveys in the Thane-Kalyan region, Navi Mumbai, and western suburbs of the city, with students of all backgrounds participating.
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