Stress, Depression, and Anxiety of Female Adolescents of Higher Senior Secondary School: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study of Humanities, Commerce, and Science Streams

A cross-sectional, representative sample from adolescent girls of higher senior secondary schools was collected for the study. We analyzed the data from 600 Punjabi Indian female adolescents (200 from humanities, 200 from commerce, and 200 from science stream) aged 15–17 years who were randomly selected from government and private schools. The symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed by the DAS questionnaire. Overall prevalence was 50.8%, 58.7%, and 68% for depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. A significant difference was reported for depression (.000), anxiety (.000), and stress (.002) between adolescents of three streams. The results of the study point out that there is a necessity for some interventions to educate adolescent girls about the negative effects of stress, depression, and anxiety on their body.