Examining the Resilience of University Students: A Comparative Mental Health Study

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the resilience levels and mental health outcomes among university students, specifically those in the science and non-science fields. Mental wellbeing varies widely among individuals, particularly among university students. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine and compare the level of depression, anxiety, and stress between undergraduate students of the Faculty of Bio-Resources and Food Industry (FBIM) and Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSG) from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Terengganu, Malaysia, as well as to identify the correlations between resilience and their mental health status. Materials and methods: This study was conducted among FBIM and FSSG students of UniSZA starting from March 18, 2024, to May 31, 2024. A total of 329 students were assessed for this purpose. All participants answered questionnaires that were prepared based on the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS21) and the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) through a Google Form (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA). Results: The Pearson's chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to analyze the data in this study. This study showed that the students from FBIM had poorer mental health than those from the FSSG (p<0.001). The results revealed statistically significant differences between the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress between students of the two faculties. Moreover, the research correlated the level of depression, anxiety, and stress with the resilience level to examine how individuals cope with psychological challenges. Conclusion: This outcome might be connected to students' resilience to overcome mental health issues. This research could potentially assist students in identifying their mental health status, as some may not be aware of their underlying brain conditions.