Perceived academic satisfaction level, psychological stress and academic risk among Indian students amidst COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The Covid-19 pandemic has a significant impact on education and mental health outcomes. This study attempts to analyze the factors associated with academic satisfaction level, psychological stress/anxiety, and future academic risk among Indian students of higher education in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: An online survey was conducted through a structured questionnaire among students of higher education. Multivariate ordered logistic regression models were performed to find out the predictors of perceived academic satisfaction level, psychological stress, and academic risk among the participants. RESULTS: Among the 630 participants, the majority of the students (73%) had low to moderate levels of academic satisfaction. Over two-thirds of participants (68%) had a high level of stress and nearly two-fifths (38%) of the participants felt very high risk in their academic career. The multivariate logistic regression models show that the likelihood of psychological stress and academic risk was significantly higher among students aged above 25 years, researchers, and those who belong to broken families. Besides, the higher probability of satisfaction level is associated with female students, undergraduates, belonging to economically well-off families, and rural residents. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic leads to a range of psychological health problems. Therefore, increase students’ satisfaction with online classes and it is essential to preserve the mental health of individuals and to develop psychological interventions that can improve the mental health of students during the Covid-19 pandemic.