Awareness to Openness: A study on perception of Mental Health among college students

The study examines the association between institutional mental health awareness initiatives and students’ levels of awareness. In addition to studying the perceived importance of mental health, it investigates whether the understanding level is associated with comfort in discussing mental health concerns. The study also explores the relationship between perceived stigma about mental health and willingness to attend counselling sessions. This exploratory study, collects responses from 168 respondents pursuing graduation or post-graduation studies in a single education complex offering programs in law, management and engineering. The sampling technique used is convenience sampling. The study employed statistical tests like mean rank scores and chi-square for hypothesis testing. Despite high awareness and strong recognition of the importance of mental health, students report lower comfort discussing mental health concerns and perceive stigma as a persistent barrier to help-seeking. The outcomes of the study indicate that improving mental health literacy and reducing stigma may be the key to fostering open dialogue and encouraging help-seeking among students.