Mental health and academic performance during COVID-19: the pre-dominant role of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression on academic performance

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education and raised concerns about student mental health, with stress, anxiety, and depression potentially affecting well-being and academic performance. Objective: To examine the roles of perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and resilience in predicting mental well-being and academic performance among university students during COVID-19. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey using a structured questionnaire with validated scales for stress, anxiety, depression, well-being, academic performance, and resilience (5-point Likert), distributed via snowball sampling to business-school students at public and private universities. Sample size (n=432) was determined using G*Power (f²=0.05, α=0.05, power=95%; minimum required n=410) and analyzed with structural equation modeling. Results: Perceived stress and depression significantly and negatively predicted students' mental well-being and academic performance. Contrary to expectation, COVID-19-related anxiety did not significantly affect these outcomes, possibly reflecting lower perceived personal risk among younger respondents. Resilience directly and positively influenced academic performance but did not fully offset the effects of stress and depression. Students facing financial hardship or residing in rural areas with limited internet access were disproportionately affected. Conclusion: Stress and depression, more than anxiety, undermined student mental well-being and academic performance during the pandemic. Institutional stress-management support and targeted interventions for financially constrained and disaster-preparedness in education.