IIT Madras Admissions: 32% New Students Face Mental Health Challenges - Study
Introduction
Indian Institute of Technology of Madras has found that 2% of the newly admitted students are deeply affected by past traumas and 32% of students require mental health support in any form. The institute surveyed in July 2024 to collect information about the students who need psychological counselling and help to prevent suicides on campus.
According to the reports provided, 2% of freshers are deeply affected by past trauma, and 17% are marginally affected by past trauma. “Concerning wellness levels 3% of newly admitted students have fallen under the worry zone and 32% are under the focus zone.”
ChintaBar, who is a student body recognised by IIT Madras, said that it is a ‘mistake’ to call it a survey but said to be a well-being assessment. Newly admitted students need to take the assessment during the admission process. The ChintaBar member said that approximately 1,200 undergraduate, 300 PhD, and 500 postgraduate students were admission to IIT-M this year. There were around 70 multiple-choice questions like how do you evaluate your relationship with your parents and if they have any previous record of psychological counselling. Answers to these questions will help the institute to identify and provide additional care if required.
The assessment will also help assess the progress of students over time and compare their mental health in the second and third years with the first year. This will help in identifying the factors on campus contributing to the poor well-being of students.
The well-being assessment is not conducted to evaluate students but it is done to pin down what went wrong in case the student faces any problem in future.
IIT Madras well-being survey
The IIT Madras survey includes three major components i.e psychological well-being, family dynamics and atmosphere, and self-efficacy.
Psychological well-being means self-determination and independence, mastery of the environment, personal development, interpersonal connections, a sense of purpose and positive self-perception.
Family dynamics and atmosphere cover subjects like Emotional bonds, open communication and conflict resolution.
Self-efficacy means Problem-solving resilience, goal-driven perseverance and adaptive thinking.
According to the NIRF rankings, the number one institute in India is conducting a well-being survey for all new students before getting admission.
To tackle these challenges, the administration and student teams have been planning to continue various programs on self-awareness workshops, behavioural skills training, stress management and coping skills programmes, self-compassion and resilience building workshops, and financial literacy workshops.
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