Assessment of mental health and level of stress among foreign and Indian students

Mental health has been defined variously by scholars from different cultures. Concepts of mental health, among others, include subjective well-being, perceived self efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence and self actualization of one‟s intellectual and emotional potential. From a cross-cultural perspective it is nearly impossible to define mental health comprehensively. It is, however, generally agreed that mental health is a broader term than lack of mental disorders. The present study aims to find the difference, if any, between the mental health and the level of stress of Indian and Foreign post-graduate students. The sample of this study comprised of 60 students (30 Indians and 30 Foreigners) studying at AMU, Aligarh. The tools were individually administered to all the participants of the study and all the possible precautions were taken. t-test was used for analyzing the data. Significant differences were found between the two groups. According to the world Health Organization (WHO), there is no “official” definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments and competing professional theories all affect how “mental health” is defined. In general most experts agree that “mental health” and “mental illness” is not the same thing. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.