Digital behavior, mental health, and environmental attitudes among undergraduate students: A data-driven study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63697/jeshs.2026.10051Keywords:
Digital behavior, Environmental attitude, Mental well-being, Undergraduate student, IndiaAbstract
In the present era, environmental attitudes and awareness, along with digital behavior among the youth, play a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of natural resources and societal well-being. This study examined the digital behavior, mental health, and environmental attitudes among the undergraduate students at Krishnagar Government College, West Bengal, India. A structured questionnaire-based survey was conducted using a ‘Google Form’ to collect the responses anonymously. A total of 398 responses were received from the surveyed students, which is approximately 16 to 18% of the enrolled college student population. Key findings suggest that excessive screen time was associated with poorer sleep, increased academic stress, and concentration difficulties. Students who seldom sought support were significantly more likely to report severe stress, while eco-conscious behaviors, such as using reusable drinking water bottles, were associated with more positive overall well‑being. Clustering of the responses revealed distinct student profiles based on usage and stress metrics, suggesting targeted interventions. This study provided a comprehensive statistical overview of college students’ well‑being in the digital age and offered evidence-based recommendations for college campus policies and support programs.
Downloads
References
Abueva, N., Buzelo, A., Wu, Y., Turniyazova, Z., Karakushev, D., & Obrenovic, B. (2025). Digital technologies and student mental health: Risks of social media and the promise of virtual reality and autonomous sensory meridian response interventions. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 18, 2179–2191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S540053
Arpaci, I., Karataş, K., Zeybek, G., & Haktanir, A. (2024). Environmental attitude, global social responsibility, and digital literacy: Predictors of green purchase intentions among emerging adults. In Studies in Computational Intelligence (pp. 79–96). Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61463-7_5
Arshad, H., Saleem, K., Shafi, S., Ahmad, T., & Kanwal, S. (2020). Environmental awareness, concern, attitude and behavior of university students: A comparison across academic disciplines. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 30(1), 561–570. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/122617
Bass, E., Fisher, R., Puvvadi, S., Reddy, N., Ogbaudu, E., Ohaya, C., & Agrwal, N. (2025). Medical student attitudes toward healthcare sustainability education at a multi-site private United States medical school. Journal of Environmental Science, Health & Sustainability, 1(3), 217–226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.63697/jeshs.2025.10046
Cabral, L. G. L., Queiroz, T. N., Pol-Fachin, L., & Santos, A. R. L. dos. (2022). Digital technology and its impacts on the sleep quality and academic performance during the pandemic. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 80(10), 1052–1056. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1755395
Feng, X., Ren, S., & Shi, P. (2025). The relationship and mechanism of screen time and academic performance among adolescents: an empirical study based on CEPS. Frontiers in Public Health, 13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1533327
Gull, M., & Sravani, B. R. (2024). Do screen time and social media use affect sleep patterns, psychological health, and academic performance among adolescents? evidence from bibliometric analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 164, 107886. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107886
Harith, S., Backhaus, I., Mohbin, N., Ngo, H. T., & Khoo, S. (2022). Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review. PeerJ, 10, e13111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13111
He, X. (Elaine), Hong, T., Liu, L., & Tiefenbacher, J. (2011). A comparative study of environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among university students in China. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 20(2), 91–104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2011.564783
Heyl, M., Moyano Díaz, E., & Cifuentes, L. (2013). Environmental attitudes and behaviors of college students: A case study conducted at a Chilean university. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 45(3), 487–500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14349/rlp.v45i3.1489
Hunter, J. D. (2007). Matplotlib: A 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science & Engineering, 9(3), 90–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MCSE.2007.55
Khan, M., Perwez, S. K., Gaddam, R. P., Aiswarya, R., Abrar Basha, M., Malas, A., Haque, S., & Ahmad, F. (2024). Mind matters: Exploring the intersection of psychological factors and cognitive abilities of university students by using ANN model. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, Volume 20, 137–148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S436975
Kumban, W., Cetthakrikul, S., & Santiworakul, A. (2025). Smartphone addiction, screen time, and physical activity of different academic majors and study levels in university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(2), 237. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020237
Lattie, E. G., Adkins, E. C., Winquist, N., Stiles-Shields, C., Wafford, Q. E., & Graham, A. K. (2019). Digital mental health interventions for depression, anxiety, and enhancement of psychological well-being among college students: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(7), e12869. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/12869
Lee, E. B. (2008). Environmental attitudes and information sources among African American college students. The Journal of Environmental Education, 40(1), 29–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.40.1.29-42
Levine, D. S., & Strube, M. J. (2012). Environmental attitudes, knowledge, intentions and behaviors among college students. The Journal of Social Psychology, 152(3), 308–326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2011.604363
Liu, S., Lan, Y., Chen, B., He, G., & Jia, Y. (2022). Smartphone use time and total screen time among students aged 10–19 and the effects on academic stress: A large longitudinal cohort study in Shanghai, China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.869218
Müderrisoglu, H., & Altanlar, A. (2010). Attitudes and behaviors of undergraduate students toward environmental issues. International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology, 8(1), 159–168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326205
Ogundipe, R. O., Omotosho, O. E., & John-Akinola, Y. O. (2025). Perception, attitude and use of digital health platforms for mental health promotion among students in a national university in the south-western part of Nigeria: A cross-sectional study. Digital Health, 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251331841
Ou, J., Wang, K., Zuo, M., Chen, D., & Luo, H. (2025). Factors influencing the mental health of first-year college students: Evidence from digital records of daily behaviors. Behavioral Sciences, 15(5), 618. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050618
Stratton, S. J. (2021). Population research: Convenience sampling strategies. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 36(4), 373–374. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X21000649
Varah, F., Mahongnao, M., Francis, D. J., & Shimrah, T. (2020). Measuring environmental attitudes and behaviors: a study of undergraduate students in Delhi. Natural Hazards, 103(1), 1291–1306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04035-3
Waskom, M. (2021). Seaborn: Statistical data visualization. Journal of Open Source Software, 6(60), 3021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.03021
Wörfel, F., Gusy, B., Lohmann, K., Töpritz, K., & Kleiber, D. (2015). Mental health problems among university students and the impact of structural conditions. Journal of Public Health, 24(2), 125–133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-015-0703-6
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data will be made available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author. Additional data can be found in the supplementary information.
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Irfan Ukil, Subrata Rana

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the journal and its publisher (Enviro Mind Solutions) a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work freely.





