Stress, anxiety and depresion among adolescents due to the ethnic clash in Manipur
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Vidula Abhyankar (under the guidance of Dr Sumaila Parveen, Prof Dept of Psychology, LPU)
Contd from previous issue
OBJECTIVES
As the ethnic clashes continue still, one of the most affected groups are students studying in classes from IX-XII. Since most of the Government schools were converted into transit camps for the displaced people and/or the Central Armed Police Forces and thus, remained closed for more than 04 months, adolescents are struggling hard to resume their life normally. This study aimed to find and analyse the prevalence of Stress, Anxiety and Depression among the adolescents because of the ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes in Manipur. The objectives of the study are:
1. To analyse the difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression amongst the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas as compared to those living in non-affected areas.
2. To identify the association, if any, between Stress, Anxiety and Depression among these adolescents, and
3. To identify the difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression with reference to gender of these adolescents.
HYPOTHESIS
1. There will be significant difference between the level of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by adolescents displaced/living in affected areas of ethnic clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes.
2. There will be a relationship between the prevalence of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by the adolescents displaced /living in affected areas of ethnic clashes and those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes
3. There will be difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by the adolescents displaced/ living in affected areas of ethnic clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes with reference to gender.
VARIABLES UNDER STUDY
The impact of two experimental variable, that is, Impact of Ethnic Clashes and Gender on three dependent variables i.e., namely Stress, Anxiety and Depression among the adolescents sample population in Manipur was studied and analyzed.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
Participants : An objective, cross sectional study was conducted to analyse the prevalence of Anxiety, Depression and Stress among adolescents of Manipur State
a. who have been victims of ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki tribes from different districts of Manipur and as a result had to be housed at Relief Camps in the Imphal Valley
b. who are living in non-affected areas of the State, predominantly the Imphal Valley
c. who were studying in senior /secondary schools before their displacement in classes IX-XII in Manipur.
d. who are studying in different Senior/ Secondary schools in classes IX-XII in Manipur
Sample. A total number of 138 adolescents belonging to various tribes and communities from the state of Manipur participated in the study. These participants belong to the age group of 14 -16 years of age and are studying in classes IX-XII. Out of the total 138 participants, 70 number of participants are male and 68 number of participants are female.
Measures/Tools used. The scale used for the study was the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (ADSS) developed by Pallavi Bhatnagar, Megha Singh and others published through National Psychological Corporation Agra, India.
General Description of ADSS: It is a self-administrable test that measures the Anxiety, Depression and stress experienced daily by the human beings of the age group 14 years -70 years. It can be administered on an individual as well as a group. The test consists of a total number of 48 items divided into three subscales. Higher scores indicate Greater Anxiety, Depression, and Stress and vice-versa. The reasons for choosing this scale to measure Anxiety, Depression and Stress among Adolescents are
a. its suitability for Indian population
b. unique ability to assess all three mental states (Anxiety, Depression & Stress) into a single scale
c. its high applicability due to being bilingual and being accessible to both literate and illiterate population
d. its suitability as both a diagnostic as well as rating scale
e. its generalizability (due to use on both clinical and non-clinical samples),
f. its equally high Reliability and Validity
Method.
The Nodal Officer for Relief Camps in Imphal Valley was approached and due permissions from the parents were sought to administer the ADSS questionnaire to their wards falling in the age group of 14-16 years of age. Similarly, permissions were sought from Principals of various schools and colleges. Once permissions were accorded, conduct of test according to the convenience of the inmates of relief camps and the school authorities was held.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Data Collection Procedure & Data Analysis
Data Collection: Sample: The study was conducted on a total of 138 adolescents studying in classes IX-XII in different schools of Manipur. Out of total 138, 70 were Male and 68 were Female. A total of 18 samples were discarded due to incorrect and incomplete filling of responses. After filtering out the irrelevant samples, the final number of samples (total 120; 60- male, 60-female) were considered for the study from affected areas and non-affected areas
Statistical Analysis: The results of the test was then fed in MS Excel sheets and tabulated before treating it by descriptive statistics methods to obtain the significant differences and correlation between the three sub-scales among the adolescents from the affected and non-affected areas. The website DATA tab was referred to for obtaining the Mean, mode, median, variance, Standard Deviation, t-test results, 95% confidence interval of mean and Pearson’s Correlation coefficient of the data.
Table I (a), (b), (c): Significant difference in levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress in adolescents displaced/living in Affected Areas of Ethnic Clashes as compared to those living in Non-Affected Areas of Ethnic Clashes
Discussion
This study was conducted to find out the effect of ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes on mental health of adolescents in Manipur and to analyse if there is any other factor such as gender that influences their mental health.
With the help of the ADSS developed by Pallavi Bhatnagar and others, the levels of three sub scales of mental health namely Anxiety, Depression and Stress amongst a sample of 60 adolescents displaced or living in affected areas were analyzed in comparison with a sample of 60 adolescents living in non-affected areas of Manipur.
A look at results displayed in Table I (a), (b), (c) and Graph 1, shows a comparison between the Mean, Standard Deviation and levels of Anxiety, depression and Stress experienced by the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas and the adolescents living in non-affected areas. This, in turn, proves that First Hypothesis: there will be significant difference between the level of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by adolescents displaced /living in affected areas of Ethnic Clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of Ethnic
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study have proven that the mental health of adolescents has been adversely affected by the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur. There is a significant prevalence of Anxiety, Depression & Stress amongst adolescents in Manipur due to the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur. The levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress are significantly higher in the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas as compared to the adolescents living in non-affected areas. Also, within the adolescents displaced or living in affected areas, the female adolescents have shown significantly higher levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress as compared to the Male adolescents displaced/living in affected areas.
It is felt that timely counselling, guidance, and encouragement for participation in academic and co-curricular activities would go a long way to improve the mental health of the adolescents who have been either displaced or living in affected areas of Manipur.
Contd from previous issue
OBJECTIVES
As the ethnic clashes continue still, one of the most affected groups are students studying in classes from IX-XII. Since most of the Government schools were converted into transit camps for the displaced people and/or the Central Armed Police Forces and thus, remained closed for more than 04 months, adolescents are struggling hard to resume their life normally. This study aimed to find and analyse the prevalence of Stress, Anxiety and Depression among the adolescents because of the ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes in Manipur. The objectives of the study are:
1. To analyse the difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression amongst the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas as compared to those living in non-affected areas.
2. To identify the association, if any, between Stress, Anxiety and Depression among these adolescents, and
3. To identify the difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression with reference to gender of these adolescents.
HYPOTHESIS
1. There will be significant difference between the level of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by adolescents displaced/living in affected areas of ethnic clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes.
2. There will be a relationship between the prevalence of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by the adolescents displaced /living in affected areas of ethnic clashes and those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes
3. There will be difference in levels of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by the adolescents displaced/ living in affected areas of ethnic clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of ethnic clashes with reference to gender.
VARIABLES UNDER STUDY
The impact of two experimental variable, that is, Impact of Ethnic Clashes and Gender on three dependent variables i.e., namely Stress, Anxiety and Depression among the adolescents sample population in Manipur was studied and analyzed.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
Participants : An objective, cross sectional study was conducted to analyse the prevalence of Anxiety, Depression and Stress among adolescents of Manipur State
a. who have been victims of ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki tribes from different districts of Manipur and as a result had to be housed at Relief Camps in the Imphal Valley
b. who are living in non-affected areas of the State, predominantly the Imphal Valley
c. who were studying in senior /secondary schools before their displacement in classes IX-XII in Manipur.
d. who are studying in different Senior/ Secondary schools in classes IX-XII in Manipur
Sample. A total number of 138 adolescents belonging to various tribes and communities from the state of Manipur participated in the study. These participants belong to the age group of 14 -16 years of age and are studying in classes IX-XII. Out of the total 138 participants, 70 number of participants are male and 68 number of participants are female.
Measures/Tools used. The scale used for the study was the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (ADSS) developed by Pallavi Bhatnagar, Megha Singh and others published through National Psychological Corporation Agra, India.
General Description of ADSS: It is a self-administrable test that measures the Anxiety, Depression and stress experienced daily by the human beings of the age group 14 years -70 years. It can be administered on an individual as well as a group. The test consists of a total number of 48 items divided into three subscales. Higher scores indicate Greater Anxiety, Depression, and Stress and vice-versa. The reasons for choosing this scale to measure Anxiety, Depression and Stress among Adolescents are
a. its suitability for Indian population
b. unique ability to assess all three mental states (Anxiety, Depression & Stress) into a single scale
c. its high applicability due to being bilingual and being accessible to both literate and illiterate population
d. its suitability as both a diagnostic as well as rating scale
e. its generalizability (due to use on both clinical and non-clinical samples),
f. its equally high Reliability and Validity
Method.
The Nodal Officer for Relief Camps in Imphal Valley was approached and due permissions from the parents were sought to administer the ADSS questionnaire to their wards falling in the age group of 14-16 years of age. Similarly, permissions were sought from Principals of various schools and colleges. Once permissions were accorded, conduct of test according to the convenience of the inmates of relief camps and the school authorities was held.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Data Collection Procedure & Data Analysis
Data Collection: Sample: The study was conducted on a total of 138 adolescents studying in classes IX-XII in different schools of Manipur. Out of total 138, 70 were Male and 68 were Female. A total of 18 samples were discarded due to incorrect and incomplete filling of responses. After filtering out the irrelevant samples, the final number of samples (total 120; 60- male, 60-female) were considered for the study from affected areas and non-affected areas
Statistical Analysis: The results of the test was then fed in MS Excel sheets and tabulated before treating it by descriptive statistics methods to obtain the significant differences and correlation between the three sub-scales among the adolescents from the affected and non-affected areas. The website DATA tab was referred to for obtaining the Mean, mode, median, variance, Standard Deviation, t-test results, 95% confidence interval of mean and Pearson’s Correlation coefficient of the data.
Table I (a), (b), (c): Significant difference in levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress in adolescents displaced/living in Affected Areas of Ethnic Clashes as compared to those living in Non-Affected Areas of Ethnic Clashes
Discussion
This study was conducted to find out the effect of ongoing Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes on mental health of adolescents in Manipur and to analyse if there is any other factor such as gender that influences their mental health.
With the help of the ADSS developed by Pallavi Bhatnagar and others, the levels of three sub scales of mental health namely Anxiety, Depression and Stress amongst a sample of 60 adolescents displaced or living in affected areas were analyzed in comparison with a sample of 60 adolescents living in non-affected areas of Manipur.
A look at results displayed in Table I (a), (b), (c) and Graph 1, shows a comparison between the Mean, Standard Deviation and levels of Anxiety, depression and Stress experienced by the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas and the adolescents living in non-affected areas. This, in turn, proves that First Hypothesis: there will be significant difference between the level of Stress, Anxiety and Depression experienced by adolescents displaced /living in affected areas of Ethnic Clashes as compared to those living in non-affected areas of Ethnic
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study have proven that the mental health of adolescents has been adversely affected by the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur. There is a significant prevalence of Anxiety, Depression & Stress amongst adolescents in Manipur due to the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur. The levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress are significantly higher in the adolescents displaced/living in affected areas as compared to the adolescents living in non-affected areas. Also, within the adolescents displaced or living in affected areas, the female adolescents have shown significantly higher levels of Anxiety, Depression and Stress as compared to the Male adolescents displaced/living in affected areas.
It is felt that timely counselling, guidance, and encouragement for participation in academic and co-curricular activities would go a long way to improve the mental health of the adolescents who have been either displaced or living in affected areas of Manipur.