Academic stress psychological – well-being and depression of Vietnamese high school students

Toan Dong Van

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2025485

Keywords:

academic stress

depression

psychological well-being

high school student

Abstract

This study explored the connections among academic stress, psychological well-being, and depression among high school students. Conducted online in April 2023, it involved 400 students aged 15–17 from Vietnam, who were chosen through convenience sampling. Participants responded to the 7-item Depression Scale, the 5-item Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and and 16-item Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA). Multiple regression analysis revealed that academic stress did not have a negative correlation with depression. Similarly, depression was not found to negatively influence psychological well-being. These findings underscore the complex interplay between academic stress, psychological well-being, and depression. The study concludes by discussing both the theoretical and practical implications of these results, offering insights for future research that could aid scholars and practitioners in better understanding the dynamics of academic stress, depression, and psychological well-being.
References
1. Alloush, M. (2019). Income, psychological well-being, and the dynamics of poverty. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4008135
2. Baker, S. R. (2004). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational orientations: Their role in university adjustment, stress, well-being, and subsequent academic performance. Current Psychology, 23, 189–202.
3. Boehm, J. K., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2012). The heart’s content: The association between positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. Psychological Bulletin, 138(4), 655–691. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027448
4. Dan-Ni, Z., Guang-Min, Z., Yu-Hua, D., Ying, L., Ting, W., Yuan-Yuan, C., ... & Xin-Cai, X. (2024). Prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in patients with multi-drug/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1372389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1372389
5. Ho, T. T. Q., Nguyen, B. T. N., & Nguyen, N. P. H. (2023). Academic stress and depression among Vietnamese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of life satisfaction and resilience. Current Psychology, 42(31), 27217–27227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03661-3
6. İsmail, K., & Rıdvan, E. (2022). Effect of physical activity on depression and psychological well-being. Journal of Educational Issues, 8(2), 797–807. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v8i2.20445
7. Kyung, H. K. (2022). The relationship between depression and psychological well-being: Exploring the path through experience avoidance, nonacceptance of positive emotion, prioritizing of positivity. Korean Association for Learner-Centered Curriculum and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2022.22.19.613
8. Lim, W. L., & Tierney, S. (2023). The effectiveness of positive psychology interventions for promoting well-being of adults experiencing depression compared to other active psychological treatments: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(1), 249–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00598-z
9. Liu, T., & Brink, T. T. (2022). Social protection for migrant workers in China. In F. Nullmeier, D. G. d. Reufels, & H. Obinger (Eds.), International impacts on social policy: Short histories in global perspective (pp. 489–500). Palgrave Macmillan.
10. Massey, D. S. (1990). Social structure, household strategies, and the cumulative causation of migration. Population Index, 3–26.
11. National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. (2014). Law on Social Insurance 58/2014/QH13. National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
12. Nguyen, L., & Bui, M. (2022). Social protection response to COVID-19: Experiences and lessons from Vietnam. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 32(4), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185385.2022.2140703
13. Nguyễn, T. Đ. (2016). Hoàn thiện chính sách an sinh xã hội phù hợp với quá trình phát triển kinh tế-xã hội của đất nước (Complete social security policies in accordance with the country's economic and social development process). Lao Động Xã Hội, 15 June 2023. http://laodongxahoi.net/hoan-thien-chinh-sach-an-sinh-xa-hoi-phu-hop-voi-qua-trinh-phat-trien-kinh-te-xa-hoi-cua-dat-nuoc-1304143.html
14. Nguyen, T. T. L., Bui, T. M., Dang, K. K. L., Mai, T. H., & Luong, B. T. (2023). Social vulnerability and exclusion during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 291–335). Silkworm.
15. Olivier, M. (2017). Social protection for migrant workers abroad: Addressing the deficit via country-of-origin unilateral measures? In M. McAuliffe & M. K. Solomon (Eds.), Ideas to inform international cooperation on safe, orderly and regular migration (pp. 79–100). IOM.
16. Orellana, S. C., Bethlehem, R. A., Simpson-Kent, I. L., van Harmelen, A. L., Vértes, P. E., & Bullmore, E. T. (2024). Childhood maltreatment influences adult brain structure through its effects on immune, metabolic, and psychosocial factors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(16), e2304704121.
17. Oxfam & ActionAid. (2011). Effects of price fluctuations on the lives of population groups in some urban areas [Quick Survey Report].
18. Oxfam. (2015). Báo cáo tóm tắt: Rào cản pháp luật và thực tiễn đối với người lao động di cư trong tiếp cận an sinh xã hội. Hong Duc Publishing House.
19. Padney, S. (2020). Social security for migrant workers during COVID-19. Economic & Political Weekly. 10 September 2023. https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/26-27/commentary/social-security-migrant-workers-during-covid-19.html
20. Park, M., Hong, J., Park, J., & Chung, S. (2023). Impact of resilience and viral anxiety on psychological well-being, intrinsic motivation, and academic stress in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Investigation, 20(6), 524. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2023.0019
21. Phạm, T. T., Trần, N. C. M. H., Nguyễn, T. V. A., & Nguyễn, T. T. A. (2021). Tác động của các chính sách khắc phục hậu quả COVID đối với bình đẳng giới và biến đổi khí hậu tại Sơn La và Thừa Thiên Huế (Impact of COVID recovery policies on gender equality and climate change in Son La and Thua Thien Hue). Brief Info, 353.
22. Pham, V. Q., & Tran, V. K. (2016). Discrimination against poor immigrant workers in Vietnamese urban areas. Vietnam Social Sciences, 1(171), 34–41.
23. Phạm, V. Q., Phạm, V. H., & Đặng, Q. H. (2022). Sinh kế của lao động di cư tự do tại Thành phố Hà Nội trong đại dịch COVID-19 (Self-employed immigrant workers’ livelihood in Hanoi during COVID-19 pandemic). NU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 8(1), 95–109.
24. Prasad, K., Mookerjee, R., Rani, R., & Srinivas, V. (2022). Student stress and its association with student performance and psychological well-being: An empirical study on higher academic education students in and around Hyderabad metro. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 7(5), 17. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2022.v7i5.753
25. Sabeena, P. K., & Kumar, V. S. (2022). Psycho-social intervention for managing depression among older adults–A meta-analysis. Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, 22(2), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.24193/jebp.2022.2.10
26. Sciortino, R. (2023a). The paradox of social protection in Southeast Asia: A regional overview of the real and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and responses. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 13–72). Silkworm.
27. Sciortino, R. (2023b). Who cares? An introduction. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 1–12). Silkworm.
28. Slimmen, S., Timmermans, O., Mikolajczak-Degrauwe, K., & Oenema, A. (2022). How stress-related factors affect mental well-being of university students: A cross-sectional study to explore the associations between stressors, perceived stress, and mental well-being. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0275925. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275925
29. Sun, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, B., Chen, C., Chen, Y., Chen, Y., ... & Wang, N. (2022). Joint exposure to positive affect, life satisfaction, broad depression, and neuroticism and risk of cardiovascular diseases: A prospective cohort study. Atherosclerosis, 359, 44–51. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4036383
30. Taghipour, R., Rahimzadeh Soumesaraee, M., Meftahy, Z., Alizade, S., & Amiri, A. F. S. A. N. E. H. (2023). Community-based counseling intervention for depression and psychological well-being in the elderly: A pilot quasi-experimental study. Caspian Journal of Health Research, 8(2), 65–74.
31. Thai Thanh Truc, T. T. T., Loan KimXuan, L. K., Nguyen Do Nguyen, N. D. N., Dixon, J., Sun JianDong, S. J., & Dunne, M. P. (2015). Validation of the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA) in Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539512440818
32. Tran, N. T., Franzen, J., Jermann, F., Rudaz, S., Bondolfi, G., & Ghisletta, P. (2022). Psychological distress and well-being among students of health disciplines in Geneva, Switzerland: The importance of academic satisfaction in the context of academic year-end and COVID-19 stress on their learning experience. PLOS ONE, 17(4), e0266612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266612
33. Tran, T. D., Tran, T., & Fisher, J. (2013). Validation of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) as a screening instrument for depression and anxiety in a rural community-based cohort of northern Vietnamese women. BMC Psychiatry, 13, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-24
34. Van Ginneken, W. (2013). Social protection for migrant workers: National and international policy challenges. European Journal of Social Security, 15(2), 209–221.
35. Vanderschelden, B., Gebara, M. A., Oughli, H. A., Butters, M. A., Brown, P. J., Farber, N. B., ... & Lenze, E. J. (2023). Change in patient‐centered outcomes of psychological well‐being, sleep, and suicidality following treatment with intravenous ketamine for late‐life treatment‐resistant depression. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 38(7), e5964.
36. World Bank. (2019). A vision for the 2030 social protection system in Vietnam. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/457311600401962011/pdf/A-Vision-for-the-2030-Social-Protection-System-in-Vietnam.pdf
37. World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022. World Health Organization.
38. World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022 (No. WHO/2019-nCoV/Sci_Brief/Mental_health/2022.1). World Health Organization.
39. Zahrah, N. A. N., & Sukirno, R. S. H. (2022). Psychological well-being pada mahasiswa santri ditinjau dari dukungan sosial & stress akademik. Jurnal Psikologi Integratif, 10(2), 189–205. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpsi.v10i2.2526

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Van, T. D. (2025). Academic stress psychological – well-being and depression of Vietnamese high school students. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 7(10), 2025485. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2025485

[1] Alloush, M. (2019). Income, psychological well-being, and the dynamics of poverty. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4008135

[2] Baker, S. R. (2004). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational orientations: Their role in university adjustment, stress, well-being, and subsequent academic performance. Current Psychology, 23, 189–202.

[3] Boehm, J. K., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2012). The heart’s content: The association between positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. Psychological Bulletin, 138(4), 655–691. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027448

[4] Dan-Ni, Z., Guang-Min, Z., Yu-Hua, D., Ying, L., Ting, W., Yuan-Yuan, C., ... & Xin-Cai, X. (2024). Prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in patients with multi-drug/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1372389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1372389

[5] Ho, T. T. Q., Nguyen, B. T. N., & Nguyen, N. P. H. (2023). Academic stress and depression among Vietnamese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of life satisfaction and resilience. Current Psychology, 42(31), 27217–27227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03661-3

[6] İsmail, K., & Rıdvan, E. (2022). Effect of physical activity on depression and psychological well-being. Journal of Educational Issues, 8(2), 797–807. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v8i2.20445

[7] Kyung, H. K. (2022). The relationship between depression and psychological well-being: Exploring the path through experience avoidance, nonacceptance of positive emotion, prioritizing of positivity. Korean Association for Learner-Centered Curriculum and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2022.22.19.613

[8] Lim, W. L., & Tierney, S. (2023). The effectiveness of positive psychology interventions for promoting well-being of adults experiencing depression compared to other active psychological treatments: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(1), 249–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00598-z

[9] Liu, T., & Brink, T. T. (2022). Social protection for migrant workers in China. In F. Nullmeier, D. G. d. Reufels, & H. Obinger (Eds.), International impacts on social policy: Short histories in global perspective (pp. 489–500). Palgrave Macmillan.

[10] Massey, D. S. (1990). Social structure, household strategies, and the cumulative causation of migration. Population Index, 3–26.

[11] National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. (2014). Law on Social Insurance 58/2014/QH13. National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

[12] Nguyen, L., & Bui, M. (2022). Social protection response to COVID-19: Experiences and lessons from Vietnam. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 32(4), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185385.2022.2140703

[13] Nguyễn, T. Đ. (2016). Hoàn thiện chính sách an sinh xã hội phù hợp với quá trình phát triển kinh tế-xã hội của đất nước (Complete social security policies in accordance with the country's economic and social development process). Lao Động Xã Hội, 15 June 2023. http://laodongxahoi.net/hoan-thien-chinh-sach-an-sinh-xa-hoi-phu-hop-voi-qua-trinh-phat-trien-kinh-te-xa-hoi-cua-dat-nuoc-1304143.html

[14] Nguyen, T. T. L., Bui, T. M., Dang, K. K. L., Mai, T. H., & Luong, B. T. (2023). Social vulnerability and exclusion during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 291–335). Silkworm.

[15] Olivier, M. (2017). Social protection for migrant workers abroad: Addressing the deficit via country-of-origin unilateral measures? In M. McAuliffe & M. K. Solomon (Eds.), Ideas to inform international cooperation on safe, orderly and regular migration (pp. 79–100). IOM.

[16] Orellana, S. C., Bethlehem, R. A., Simpson-Kent, I. L., van Harmelen, A. L., Vértes, P. E., & Bullmore, E. T. (2024). Childhood maltreatment influences adult brain structure through its effects on immune, metabolic, and psychosocial factors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(16), e2304704121.

[17] Oxfam & ActionAid. (2011). Effects of price fluctuations on the lives of population groups in some urban areas [Quick Survey Report].

[18] Oxfam. (2015). Báo cáo tóm tắt: Rào cản pháp luật và thực tiễn đối với người lao động di cư trong tiếp cận an sinh xã hội. Hong Duc Publishing House.

[19] Padney, S. (2020). Social security for migrant workers during COVID-19. Economic & Political Weekly. 10 September 2023. https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/26-27/commentary/social-security-migrant-workers-during-covid-19.html

[20] Park, M., Hong, J., Park, J., & Chung, S. (2023). Impact of resilience and viral anxiety on psychological well-being, intrinsic motivation, and academic stress in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Investigation, 20(6), 524. https://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2023.0019

[21] Phạm, T. T., Trần, N. C. M. H., Nguyễn, T. V. A., & Nguyễn, T. T. A. (2021). Tác động của các chính sách khắc phục hậu quả COVID đối với bình đẳng giới và biến đổi khí hậu tại Sơn La và Thừa Thiên Huế (Impact of COVID recovery policies on gender equality and climate change in Son La and Thua Thien Hue). Brief Info, 353.

[22] Pham, V. Q., & Tran, V. K. (2016). Discrimination against poor immigrant workers in Vietnamese urban areas. Vietnam Social Sciences, 1(171), 34–41.

[23] Phạm, V. Q., Phạm, V. H., & Đặng, Q. H. (2022). Sinh kế của lao động di cư tự do tại Thành phố Hà Nội trong đại dịch COVID-19 (Self-employed immigrant workers’ livelihood in Hanoi during COVID-19 pandemic). NU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 8(1), 95–109.

[24] Prasad, K., Mookerjee, R., Rani, R., & Srinivas, V. (2022). Student stress and its association with student performance and psychological well-being: An empirical study on higher academic education students in and around Hyderabad metro. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 7(5), 17. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2022.v7i5.753

[25] Sabeena, P. K., & Kumar, V. S. (2022). Psycho-social intervention for managing depression among older adults–A meta-analysis. Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, 22(2), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.24193/jebp.2022.2.10

[26] Sciortino, R. (2023a). The paradox of social protection in Southeast Asia: A regional overview of the real and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and responses. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 13–72). Silkworm.

[27] Sciortino, R. (2023b). Who cares? An introduction. In R. Sciortino (Ed.), Who cares? COVID-19 social protection response in Southeast Asia (pp. 1–12). Silkworm.

[28] Slimmen, S., Timmermans, O., Mikolajczak-Degrauwe, K., & Oenema, A. (2022). How stress-related factors affect mental well-being of university students: A cross-sectional study to explore the associations between stressors, perceived stress, and mental well-being. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0275925. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275925

[29] Sun, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, B., Chen, C., Chen, Y., Chen, Y., ... & Wang, N. (2022). Joint exposure to positive affect, life satisfaction, broad depression, and neuroticism and risk of cardiovascular diseases: A prospective cohort study. Atherosclerosis, 359, 44–51. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4036383

[30] Taghipour, R., Rahimzadeh Soumesaraee, M., Meftahy, Z., Alizade, S., & Amiri, A. F. S. A. N. E. H. (2023). Community-based counseling intervention for depression and psychological well-being in the elderly: A pilot quasi-experimental study. Caspian Journal of Health Research, 8(2), 65–74.

[31] Thai Thanh Truc, T. T. T., Loan KimXuan, L. K., Nguyen Do Nguyen, N. D. N., Dixon, J., Sun JianDong, S. J., & Dunne, M. P. (2015). Validation of the Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA) in Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539512440818

[32] Tran, N. T., Franzen, J., Jermann, F., Rudaz, S., Bondolfi, G., & Ghisletta, P. (2022). Psychological distress and well-being among students of health disciplines in Geneva, Switzerland: The importance of academic satisfaction in the context of academic year-end and COVID-19 stress on their learning experience. PLOS ONE, 17(4), e0266612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266612

[33] Tran, T. D., Tran, T., & Fisher, J. (2013). Validation of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) as a screening instrument for depression and anxiety in a rural community-based cohort of northern Vietnamese women. BMC Psychiatry, 13, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-24

[34] Van Ginneken, W. (2013). Social protection for migrant workers: National and international policy challenges. European Journal of Social Security, 15(2), 209–221.

[35] Vanderschelden, B., Gebara, M. A., Oughli, H. A., Butters, M. A., Brown, P. J., Farber, N. B., ... & Lenze, E. J. (2023). Change in patient‐centered outcomes of psychological well‐being, sleep, and suicidality following treatment with intravenous ketamine for late‐life treatment‐resistant depression. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 38(7), e5964.

[36] World Bank. (2019). A vision for the 2030 social protection system in Vietnam. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/457311600401962011/pdf/A-Vision-for-the-2030-Social-Protection-System-in-Vietnam.pdf

[37] World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022. World Health Organization.

[38] World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022 (No. WHO/2019-nCoV/Sci_Brief/Mental_health/2022.1). World Health Organization.

[39] Zahrah, N. A. N., & Sukirno, R. S. H. (2022). Psychological well-being pada mahasiswa santri ditinjau dari dukungan sosial & stress akademik. Jurnal Psikologi Integratif, 10(2), 189–205. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpsi.v10i2.2526

Abstract

References

How to cite