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Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders among College Students of Sepahijala District, Tripura: A Narrative Review

Authors

Dr. Manabendra Debnath, Rupajit Bhattacherjee*, Arunabha Dutta, Prof. Dr. Kuntal Manna, Dr. Prithwi Jyoti Bhowmik

Abstract

Background: The mental health of college students has become a matter of considerable public health importance across India. Among the various psychological conditions affecting young adults in academic environments, stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders stand out as the three most prevalent and deeply interrelated. Students enrolled in colleges of Sepahijala district, Tripura, encounter a convergence of academic demands, economic hardship, cultural transitions, and deficient mental health support structures that places them at heightened psychological risk. Objective: This review aims to consolidate existing evidence on the prevalence, determinants, and interrelationships of stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders among college students, with focused contextual reference to Sepahijala district, Tripura. Methods: A narrative review was conducted on peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, sourced from PubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Search terms encompassed academic stress, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, insomnia, college students, young adults, India, and Northeast India. A total of 54 studies were critically appraised and thematically synthesized. Results: Globally, the prevalence of academic stress among college students ranges from 38% to 71%, anxiety from 26% to 54%, and sleep disorders from 27% to 61%. Indian studies report comparable or elevated prevalence estimates. These conditions share overlapping neurobiological substrates, with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation and autonomic nervous system disturbances as central mechanistic pathways. Contextual factors in Sepahijala district, including geographic remoteness, linguistic diversity, financial adversity, and the near-absence of institutional counseling services, are likely to amplify these vulnerabilities. Conclusion: Stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders form an interacting triad of mental health challenges requiring urgent institutional and policy attention in Sepahijala's college population. Evidence-informed interventions encompassing mindfulness-based stress reduction, sleep hygiene education, and campus counselling cells are recommended as priority responses.

Keywords

Academic stress anxiety sleep disorders insomnia college students Sepahijala Tripura mental health HPA axis Northeast India.

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Dr. Manabendra Debnath, Rupajit Bhattacherjee*, Arunabha Dutta, Prof. Dr. Kuntal Manna, Dr. Prithwi Jyoti Bhowmik (2026) Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders Among College Students of Sepahijala District, Tripura: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical and Healthcare, 1(3), 19–27.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23345551