University Student Mental Health Analysis

Project Overview

In this project, I conducted a comprehensive analysis of a university student database to identify factors affecting mental health among international students. Utilizing MySQL, I extracted and analyzed data to uncover trends and correlations. The project culminated in the creation of visualizations using Plotly, which provided clear, actionable insights. My work demonstrates a strong command of data querying, analysis, and visualization techniques.

Problem Statement

In 2018, a Japanese university conducted a comprehensive survey of its diverse student body. The following year, an approved study was published using ethically obtained data from this survey. The study found that international students have a higher risk of mental health issues than the general population. It also found that social connectedness (feeling part of a social group) and acculturative stress (stress from adapting to a new culture) can predict depression.

This project aims to explore the student data using MySQL to determine if the length of stay is a contributing factor to mental health for international students, similar to the original study's conclusions.

Key Achievements

• Executed Complex MySQL Queries: Analyzed student data to extract key insights on mental health factors.
• Interpreted Data: Identified and interpreted trends related to depression, social connectedness, and acculturative stress among international students.
• Developed Visualizations: Created interactive visualizations using Plotly to effectively communicate findings.

Results

• Depression: International students who had been at the university the longest (up to 10 years) scored the highest on average for depression according to test results (Avg Score = 13).
• Social Connectedness: These students scored the lowest on the Social Connectedness Test (Avg Score = 32).
• Acculturative Stress: Their acculturative stress scores ranked second lowest (SCS = 50).

This analysis concludes that international students who stay the longest experience increasing depression over time. However, their ability to adapt improves as they gain more experience socializing with local students and communities and familiarizing themselves with the area after longer stays.

Skills Acquired

• MySQL Proficiency: Applied MySQL to design and execute complex queries for data extraction and analysis.
• Data Analysis: Conducted in-depth analysis to uncover significant trends and correlations.
• Data Visualization: Utilized Plotly to create interactive visualizations that present findings in a clear and engaging manner.

Project Workflow

1. Understanding the Brief:

   • Analyzed the project objectives and problem statement.

2. Database Exploration:

   • Connected to the MySQL database and explored the tables and attributes to understand the data structure.

3. MySQL Query Execution:

   • Designed and executed several MySQL queries to extract data on average depression test scores, social connectedness scores, and acculturative stress scores based on the length of stay for international students.

4. Results Interpretation:

   • Analyzed the results to draw meaningful conclusions about the impact of the length of stay on mental health.

5. Visualization:

   • Created interactive visualizations using Plotly to effectively communicate the findings.

Conclusion

This case study allowed me to practice and enhance my MySQL knowledge, data analysis, and visualization skills by working with a real dataset. The insights gained from this analysis can be used to inform support strategies for international students.

References

• View the Project Source
• View the Reference Paper