Mental health consequences of academic stress, amotivation, and coaching experience: A study of India's top engineering undergraduates

Abstract

The growing number of suicide cases in India's top engineering institutions indicates a mental health emergency. Deteriorated mental health status of engineering students has been a major concern for social scientists, policymakers, educationists, and parents. Nevertheless, not much academic research has addressed this issue. The current study aims to explore the anteceding factors associated with mental health crises among engineering students. This study relies on a sequential exploratory mixed‐method design. In the first phase, 16 undergraduate students were interviewed to explore the anteceding factors that deteriorate their mental health status. Based on the qualitative findings, we developed a hypothesized model. In the second phase, this model is tested through a quantitative study (N = 395). Inductive thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews revealed that students' mental health status (stress and guilt‐related symptoms) was associated with (a) centrality of engineering identity, (b) parental pressure, (c) academic stress during the coaching period and college years, (d) upward social comparison, and (e) motivation‐related factors (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and academic amotivation). Based on this finding, a model is developed that connects academic amotivation, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, academic stress, and the mental health status of the students. The quantitative study results indicated that academic amotivation significantly mediates the relationship between academic stress and mental health status. Moreover, male engineering students score significantly higher in mental health status and significantly lower in extrinsic motivation‐identified than female students. The study concludes that academic stress is a key issue in determining amotivation and deteriorated mental health status of engineering undergraduates.