Through the Gender Lens: Exploring Perceived Stress among Tribal College Students in Kashmir

A sound mind plays a significant role in shaping the behaviour, affective and cognitive functioning of an individual. Mind when is under pressure not only affects psychological wellbeing but also influences physical, environmental, emotional and social functioning. Although stress has been a commonly discussed concern in contemporary society, it at times remains an overlooked area when it comes to marginalized populations. The current study aims to explore the perceived stress among tribal college going students using a comparative research design. Initially, 148 tribal students participated in the study through the administration of Cohen’s perceived stress scale. Later on, the data from 136 tribal students out of 148 were found suitable for final analysis and were processed using MS Excel and SPSS software. Male tribal undergraduate students experienced higher stress than their female counterparts. Psycho-social interventions at large are required to boost the psychological functioning of marginalized students, particularly tribal ones pursuing higher education.