Reseach Topics
1. Impact of University Living Arrangements on Students’ Mental Health
2. Sleep quality and perceived stress
3. Family type, gender, educational qualification, birth order vs social adjustment
and impulsivity of university student.
As the significance of the research is more, the quality of research will high.
Research Title:
The impact of residential living on mental health status (depression, anxiety, stress) among
the students of University of Rajshahi.
Literature review:
Nowadays mental well-being is a growing topic for the higher education students, so it is
necessary to explore significant factors influencing students mental health (Kadison and
DiGeronimo, 2004). Living arrangement is one of them. In 2020, the global higher education
sector accommodated over 235 million enrolled students(Hoque and Chalil, 2024).
Consequently, students move to university residential areas for living. Most students
experience a transitional period when they enter university for higher studies (Briggs et al.,
2012). The transition between one place (e.g., the home environment) and another place
(e.g., the university environment) has been conceptualized as a betwixt space (O’kane and
Owens, 2009). This transition often results in daily life stress and emotional strain. According
to a UK cohort study, psychological distress rises during the first two years of university and
remains elevated for the duration of the degree, never returning to levels seen before
enrollment(Bewick et al., 2010).
The residential system of a public university is designed to maintain positive mental well-
being, democratic outlook, healthy educational environment(Tajwar, 2024). While shifting
from one psycho-physical circumstances to another they face many difficulties as well. There
are a number of challenges associated with moving from home into student accommodation
such as living with strangers, developing independence, and managing domestic duties and
needs(Worsley et al., 2021). Daily hassles and difficult social interactions—especially living
with strangers—can lead to psychological distress. In fact some of them can hardly form
friendships within their new living area, and this consequently has a negative impact on their
wellbeing(Worsley et al., 2021).
In Bangladesh there are 55 public university (“Universities in Bangladesh,” 2025). Around
40% students among them are getting the residential opportunity (Ahmed, 2024). A
comparative study at the University of Dhaka involving 80 adult male students (40
residential, 40 non-residential) found that those living in residential halls experienced
significantly higher levels of stress and anxiety(Alamgir Kabir, 2018). A cross-sectional study
was conducted on 900 university students over Bangladesh aged 18-26 years resulting in
higher rates of anxiety and depression were observed among students living in university
dormitories, relative to those in home or private off-campus settings(Nath et al., 2019).
Existing studies tend to concentrate on institutions in the capital, leaving universities like
University of Rajshahi relatively underrepresented in the literature. University of Rajshahi
operates 18 residential halls;11 for male students, 6 for female students, and 1 International
Dormitory for graduate/international students. The residential halls together accommodate
around 10,000 students (“University of Rajshahi,” 2025). Overcrowding, insufficient
facilities, and poor conditions in female halls raise serious concerns about student physical
and mental well-being and academic performance.
Ahmed, M., 2024. Public universities: No residential facilities for 60pc students [WWW
Document]. Prothomalo. URL
https://en.prothomalo.com/youth/education/91uznfmfd6 (accessed 6.21.25).
Alamgir Kabir, Md., 2018. Evaluation of Stress, Loneliness and Depression Among
Residential and Non-Residential Students of Dhaka University: Case-Control Study.
Pharm. Sci. Technol. 2, 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pst.20180201.11
Bewick, B., Koutsopoulou ,Gina, Miles ,Jeremy, Slaa ,Esther, and Barkham, M., 2010.
Changes in undergraduate students’ psychological well‐being as they progress through
university. Stud. High. Educ. 35, 633–645.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903216643
Briggs, A.R.J., Clark, J., Hall, I., 2012. Building bridges: understanding student transition to
university. Qual. High. Educ. 18, 3–21.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2011.614468
Hoque, A., Chalil, K., 2024. (PDF) Diversification of Development of Global Higher
Education Trends Mobility Equity Affordability and Epistemic Democracy [WWW
Document]. ResearchGate. URL
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378158045_Diversification_of_Developmen
t_of_Global_Higher_Education_Trends_Mobility_Equity_Affordability_and_Epistem
ic_Democracy (accessed 6.22.25).
Kadison, R., DiGeronimo, T.F., 2004. College of the overwhelmed: The campus mental
health crisis and what to do about it. Jossey-Bass San Francisco, CA.
Nath, T.D., Hussain, F., Hossen, M.S., Hossain, M., Hasan, M., 2019. How accommodation
impacts on health status, food habit and academic performance of university students:
A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh. South East Asia J. Public Health 1–11.
O’kane, P., Owens, M., 2009. Betwixt spaces: student accounts of turning point experiences
in the first‐year transition: Studies in Higher Education: Vol 34 , No 1 - Get Access
[WWW Document]. URL
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075070802601929 (accessed
6.21.25).
Tajwar, T., 2024. Residential Environment of Public Universities for the Students: Friendly or
Hostile in the Context of Bangladesh? Indones. J. Educ. Soc. Sci. 3, 64–72.
https://doi.org/10.56916/ijess.v3i1.555
Universities in Bangladesh, 2025. . Wikipedia.
University of Rajshahi, 2025. . Wikipedia.
Worsley, J.D., Harrison, P., Corcoran, R., 2021. The role of accommodation environments in
student mental health and wellbeing. BMC Public Health 21, 573.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10602-5
