MonChitro: Unveiling The Stress and Depression About Future Among Undergraduate Students

Depression, a serious mental health condition, profoundly impacts various aspects of life and is increasingly observed among university students. The transition to university life, coupled with academic pressures, financial challenges, and social concerns, often exacerbates or triggers depression. Concerns about future uncertainties are closely linked to depression in this group. This study adopts a human-computer interaction (HCI) perspective to explore how interactive and reflective tasks can alleviate mental health challenges. We utilized the PHQ-9 depression scale, a widely used tool, to assess and analyze depression levels among undergraduate students at multiple universities in Bangladesh. Data was collected from participants twice, with a 14-day interval between assessments. A unique aspect of this study involved leveraging non-verbal communication through free-hand sketches on the theme of "Life Goals," paired with the NASA Task Load Index questionnaire to evaluate stress levels post-drawing activity. Students subsequently completed the PHQ-9 questionnaire. Our findings reveal that engaging in reflective, goal-oriented tasks designed within the framework of HCI systems significantly reduced both task load and depression levels among the students. This research underscores the importance of integrating HCI principles into the design of interactive systems to support mental well-being, providing a foundation for future applications targeting student populations.