Student Depression Analysis: Understanding the Hidden Patterns Behind Academic Pressure and Mental Health

Using data this analysis explores the reasons why so many university students struggle with depression, and how academic life, lifestyle habits, and personal background might shape their mental well-being.

Overview

This project explores the Student Depression Dataset (2022) to uncover how academic pressure, sleep, and lifestyle choices impact student mental health. The analysis focuses on identifying patterns of depression, stress, and suicidal thoughts across age groups, genders, degree types, and cities.

• 📊 Tools Used: Excel (Pivot Tables, Charts, Dashboards)
• 📁 Dataset: Kaggle – Student Depression Dataset (2022)
• 📅 Year: 2022 | 🔢 Rows: 27,902 | Columns: 18

Objective

To analyze how lifestyle and academic variables contribute to student depression, providing evidence-based insights for universities and policymakers.

Data Preparation

Steps Performed:

1. Removed duplicates and standardized missing values.
2. Converted categorical variables (e.g., Depression Status) into readable formats.
3. Created derived features:

• Age_Group → Teen, Young Adult, Middle-Aged
• Sleep_Category → <5h, 5–6h, 7–8h, >8h
• Academic_Pressure_Level → Low, Medium, High

4. Rounded numeric columns (CGPA, pressure score) for readability.

Key Findings

1. Sleep Deprivation and Academic Pressure

• Students sleeping <5 hours/day show the highest depression rates.
• Top-stress cities: Vasai-Virar (3.76), Kolkata (3.74), Ludhiana (3.73).
• Indicates the urgent need for sleep hygiene and stress-reduction programs.

2. Gender Insight Male students (9,115) show higher depression rates than female students (7,221) — a reversal of common assumptions.

3. Degree & City Hotspots Degree Top Cities Avg.Pressure Observation

• B.Arch Ahmedabad, Hyderabad 3.25 High depression despite strong CGPA
• B.Com Kalyan, Lucknow, Meerut 3.44 Linked with unhealthy diet
• B.Ed Patna, Kalyan, Lucknow 3.42 Moderate pressure, high suicidal thoughts
• B.Pharm Hyderabad, Patna 3.85 Highest academic pressure overall

4. Diet and Depression

• High-pressure cities show more unhealthy/moderate diets.
• Nutrition interventions can help buffer stress-induced depression.

5. Grades ≠ Mental Wellness

• Even top-performing students (CGPA 8.0–9.9) report high stress — indicating hidden emotional distress.

Recommendations

For Universities

• Include mandatory stress management workshops and flexible grading policies.
• Monitor pressure-heavy programs like B.Pharm and B.Arch. For Mental Health Services
• Prioritize sleep and nutrition counseling for at-risk students.
• Develop male-focused support networks in pressure zones. For Policymakers
• Integrate mental wellness KPIs into academic institutions.
• Allocate funding for student mental health initiatives.

Limitations

1. Based on self-reported data — possible bias.
2. Limited to 2022 — no multi-year trends.
3. Excludes socioeconomic or parental support variables.
4. “Depression” is self-assessed, not clinically diagnosed.
5. Slight imbalance between cities and degree categories.

Suggestions

Future projects can:

• Incorporate multi-year datasets.
• Merge quantitative + qualitative insights (surveys/interviews).
• Build a predictive depression risk model using Python or Power BI.

📖 Read the full Medium version here → [Student Depression Analysis: Understanding the Hidden Patterns Behind Academic Pressure and Mental Health] (https://medium.com/@dorcasoyibo2000/understanding-student-depression-insights-from-imperial-college-londons-2022-report-2d4515a0c049)

#DataAnalysis #Data #Excel #MentalHealth #EducationAnalytics #DataStorytelling #StudentWellbeing #DataVisualization #PortfolioProject #VephlaUniversity