“Student-Centered Approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Low-Resource Academic Settings: Project Aasha, Nepal”
1
Calm Corner, Kathmandu, Nepal
2
Maharajgunj Medical College, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
mental health problems among adolescents and young adults represent a major public health challenge in nepal. national data indicate that approximately 18.3 percent of adolescents experience emotional or behavioural difficulties, and suicide remains a leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 29 years¹. limited mental health workforce capacity, stigma, and exam-oriented medical education further constrain access to practical coping support for medical students². evidence from nepal shows high stress levels among medical students, predominantly driven by academic stressors and maladaptive coping strategies³.
METHODS:
a mixed-methods program evaluation was conducted over two years. the intervention included peer advocate training, three in-person mental health workshops with pre- and post-assessments involving 120 medical students, and digital mental health advocacy activities. a consent-based online mental health needs assessment survey was conducted among 487 medical students. expert-led podcasts and virtual sessions addressed self-care, stress, anxiety, and depression. descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to assess mental health priorities, perceptions, and coping needs.
RESULTS:
survey findings showed that participants prioritized education and awareness workshops, counselling services, stress management programs, peer support groups, mental health screening, resilience training, work-life balance promotion, and supportive academic environments. qualitative responses revealed concerns related to emotional regulation, trauma-related self-sabotage, procrastination, overthinking, performance anxiety, and the need for private one-to-one counselling. post-intervention assessments indicated improved mental health awareness, reduced stigma, and increased readiness to seek support.
CONCLUSIONS:
a student-centred, low-resource, systems-based mental health advocacy model can strengthen awareness, coping capacity, and help-seeking behaviours among medical students in nepal. integrating peer leadership, expert collaboration, and digital advocacy offers a scalable public health approach for improving mental health and wellbeing in resource-constrained academic settings.
mental health problems among adolescents and young adults represent a major public health challenge in nepal. national data indicate that approximately 18.3 percent of adolescents experience emotional or behavioural difficulties, and suicide remains a leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 29 years¹. limited mental health workforce capacity, stigma, and exam-oriented medical education further constrain access to practical coping support for medical students². evidence from nepal shows high stress levels among medical students, predominantly driven by academic stressors and maladaptive coping strategies³.
METHODS:
a mixed-methods program evaluation was conducted over two years. the intervention included peer advocate training, three in-person mental health workshops with pre- and post-assessments involving 120 medical students, and digital mental health advocacy activities. a consent-based online mental health needs assessment survey was conducted among 487 medical students. expert-led podcasts and virtual sessions addressed self-care, stress, anxiety, and depression. descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to assess mental health priorities, perceptions, and coping needs.
RESULTS:
survey findings showed that participants prioritized education and awareness workshops, counselling services, stress management programs, peer support groups, mental health screening, resilience training, work-life balance promotion, and supportive academic environments. qualitative responses revealed concerns related to emotional regulation, trauma-related self-sabotage, procrastination, overthinking, performance anxiety, and the need for private one-to-one counselling. post-intervention assessments indicated improved mental health awareness, reduced stigma, and increased readiness to seek support.
CONCLUSIONS:
a student-centred, low-resource, systems-based mental health advocacy model can strengthen awareness, coping capacity, and help-seeking behaviours among medical students in nepal. integrating peer leadership, expert collaboration, and digital advocacy offers a scalable public health approach for improving mental health and wellbeing in resource-constrained academic settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
