Identifying Learner Profiles Through Universal Screening: Academic Anxiety and Depression in Nepalese University Students

As in other cultures, university students in Nepal struggle with significant academic pressure, which often leads to academic anxiety and depression. The current study aims to expand awareness of the presence, prevalence, and impact of student academic anxiety and depression among Nepalese university students as well as to test an emerging approach to universal screening to identify learners’ need profiles to promote targeted intervention supports. Participants included 547 Nepalese college students who completed the Academic Anxiety Scale (AAS) and the University Student Depression Inventory (USDI). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the validity of the Nepalese versions. Finally, comparative analyses using an archival dataset of students from the United States explored consistencies across cultural contexts. Nepalese translations of both scales demonstrated high reliability and validity and identified similarities in patterns of expressed academic anxiety and depression across cultures. Furthermore, four profiles of need were generated based on levels of anxiety, depression, and academic motivation. The results supported clear recommendations for tiered interventions in specific domains of emotion regulation. This initial large-scale study of academic anxiety and depression in a Nepalese university population provided confirmation that the models of anxiety and depression as well as incidence levels were consistent with existing research from other contexts. Moreover, the results provided strong confirmation that universal screening with simplified self-report measures can identify clear patterns of need among students, which can be aligned with targeted tiered interventions to support student thriving.