PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, STRESS AND COPING MECHANISM AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Abstract
Background: Depression, anxiety and stress are increasingly prevalent among university students and may adversely affect academic performance, wellbeing and overall quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate students at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and to identify coping mechanisms associated with psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 395 undergraduate students from seven faculties at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire comprising sociodemographic characteristics, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Brief COPE Inventory. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and Pearson correlation analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Among 395 respondents, anxiety was the most prevalent condition (73.2%), followed by depression (55.7%) and stress (44.6%). Extremely severe anxiety was reported by 30.9% of students. Emotion-focused coping was the most commonly utilised coping strategy (M=32.0, SD=8.0), followed by avoidant coping and problem-focused coping. Significant positive correlations were observed between avoidant coping and depression (r=0.623), anxiety (r=0.625), and stress (r=0.633) (p<0.01). Students aged 23-27 years demonstrated significantly higher depression (p=0.007) and stress scores (p=0.003) than younger students. Conclusion: Psychological distress is highly prevalent among undergraduate students, with anxiety representing the dominant mental health concern. Although adaptive coping strategies were commonly reported, avoidant coping showed a strong association with depression, anxiety and stress. Universitybased interventions focusing on early detection, resilience-building and adaptive coping skills are necessary to reduce the burden of psychological distress among students. Keywords: Depression, anxiety, stress, coping mechanisms, undergraduate students, DASS-21, Brief COPE.