Mental Stress, Socioeconomic Status, and Academic Performance: A Critical Analysis among University Students of Bangladesh

Abstract

Socioeconomic status is the totality of an individual’s social and economic conditions and may vary from person to person based on various criteria, issues, and distinct factors. A family’s socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in society. This study intends to determine student’s socioeconomic status and explain how it affects mental health, academic performance, and personal life among university students. This is a mixed-method study, with both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study data and information were collected from the students of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The study sample size is 180 (n=180; male = 81 and female = 99; including case study= 05) The sample was collected through a convenient sampling method, and a face-to-face interview was conducted. The male (72.7%) and female (66.7%) students are more mentally stressed by socioeconomic status, and above half of the respondents’ (55%) academic study is influenced by it. Overall, this analytical study will also progressively contribute to getting the whole idea about the socioeconomic status of the university students in Bangladesh.

1. Introduction

Society consists of various types of people across many strata or classes, who have a variety of incomes, earnings, and functions. Different peoples have different income levels and income sources (and other determinant variables) that customize an individual’s socioeconomic level in society; moreover, this socioeconomic term formulates or influences one’s family, family members, and other related things. Socioeconomic status (SES) deeply influences an individual’s life, such as a student’s academic life being impacted by the SES (of the family).

Socioeconomic status is a measuring term, including two variables: social condition and economic condition. Social condition is established by the social situation, and financial condition is associated with the money or economy a person has. Socioeconomic status is measured with the same pointers by different sociologists, educationists, and psychologists [1]. Socioeconomic status refers to an individual’s position within a classified social structure. It depends on a combination of variables, with occupation, education, income, wealth, and so on. Sociologists ever so often use socioeconomic status as a means of predicting behavior.

Moreover, the university has a large number of students from every social and economic class and even the remote regions of Bangladesh. Understanding the extent of past and present industrialization, urbanization, and socialization of human resources, for example, could help to explain the presence and contemporary value of the process of human development and empowerment and also to know what constraints they still face from various socioeconomic and political burdens that may promote their removal or modification. According to Parson, Stephanie, and Deborah [2], “Socioeconomic Status (SES) is the term used to illustrate people’s linked condition in the society in terms of family income, power (political), educational contextual, and working status” [2].

Socioeconomic factors affect the performance of students and influence their personal life and mental health too. It can be projected that this study will help many partners, governments, social researchers, and different expert groups get a sketch-knowledge of the process of the current impact of socioeconomic status. It will be helpful to reformat and update the academic curriculum, action planning, and administrative decisions of the universities of Bangladesh. The study result confirms that students with better grades come from better socioeconomic levels, receive more support from their parents, and have previously attended preschool. So, the socioeconomic level of the student governs their academic performance, mental stress, and health. It is extensively recognized that if learners are to maximize their potential from schooling, they will need the full support of their families. Efforts to improve familial contribution to education occupy governments, administrators, instructors, and family organizations all over the world. The socioeconomic status of a student is the most important factor to improve educational or academic performance, and it helps to support one’s mental life too. Moreover, it can be a broad factor for most students to overcome or build a career properly with full support. This analytical study focuses on the basic need for SES on the student’s academic performance and mental health and other related things or factors of the student’s life. On the other hand, it also reveals that the poor-background students also overcome the fear or condition of SES through their own will and hard work, focusing on their studies and improving their academic studies, not issuing the SES. Socioeconomic status varies from person to person and affects all the spheres of life, such as education, health, socialization, proper psychological development, future progression, and so on. Based on this socioeconomic status, individuals face many difficulties and unequal treatment in getting various opportunities. In this study, a student’s socioeconomic status, mental stress (due to SES), academic performance, and other related correlations have been explained.

1.1 The objective of the study

Socioeconomic status is the totality of the individual social, economic, and other overall conditions. It may vary from person to person based on various criteria and factors. Socioeconomic status is thus a measure of students’ access to family resources (financial capital, social capital, cultural capital, and human capital) and the social position of the student’s family/household.¹ This study will be conducted with some major objectives as follows:

1. To find out the current socioeconomic status of the students of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University (JKKNIU)

2. To explain the impact of socioeconomic status on a student’s personal life and academic performance

3. To investigate the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on the student’s mental health

1.2 Research question

This study included some specific research questions, which were served to the respondents, and tried to focus the answers to the analysis and discussion part of the study, to collect accurate results on some demanding areas.

1. What is the current socioeconomic status of the students of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University?

2. How does the socioeconomic status impact a student’s personal life and academic performance?

3. How does the socioeconomic status influence the student’s mental health?

2. Theoretical framework of the study

The theoretical work of this study has highlighted that family SES influences a student’s educational outcomes, examined instruments through which family SES is related to their success, and acknowledged probable ways behind this connection, one of which practices three forms of capital: economic, cultural, and social assets [3]. Socioeconomic status (SES) affects an individual’s overall life in many ways or their various strata (steps) of life. This analytical research study will correlate these factors with some perspectives/theories. These theories are as follows, as the summary (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

A summary of the theoretical framework on socioeconomic status and its effects.

According to the functionalist perspectives, there are several functions of socioeconomic status in the social stratification system. In the structural formation of society, socioeconomic status creates some strata or classes among the group of people, and it is created based on some factors or criteria, such as occupation, economic condition, high-lower prestige level, power, domination, and so on. This socioeconomic status has a deep function for the balance of society, and to run its organization, it needs many types of persons with different intelligence; this is organized by the formation of the socioeconomic status of an individual. There are some strata or steps of the group and the class created on the basis of the socioeconomic status of a person, and finally, in this way, society is run. Completing the overall functions of society needs the socioeconomic status of individuals and also to run a society smoothly.

Additionally, from the conflict perspective, there have been several dysfunctions that occur due to socioeconomic status and its negative effects on a person’s life. For example, classes are created for the SES system in society; people face many problems, discrimination, unequal treatment, and difficulties in their whole life, and these trouble them very much, as a poor-class father’s children are sometimes not allowed in the high-class school, only because of having that poor identity. These types of incidents create discrimination and dysfunction in society. Sometimes, many bad events such as conflict among those classes occur due to dysfunction. Negative perspective like discrimination and dysfunction creates a conflicting nature among the societal classes or strata. These negative things, discrimination, dysfunction, class differences, and so on create a conflict-type mentality among university students also. This perspective is from the conflict theorists, and they talk about class conflict, class distinctiveness, and also class inequality.

Since studies report an association between socioeconomic status and student progress, major theoretical frameworks have been established to clarify this collaboration; it is important to note that both theories highlight family’s economic assets or income [4]. According to an additional perspective—the family stress model (FSM)—the connection between parents and students is impacted by the economic difficulties that the family is experiencing [5]. The pressure that comes with the economic situation affects the progress of students since it impacts the excellence of caregiving [6]. Yet socioeconomic status affects educational properties, backgrounds, prospects, and the support that parents offer. Possibly, the care of parents and a home-based atmosphere govern the development of the brain sections involved in decision-making function and intellectual and behavioral development [7]. Conclusively, in explaining the influence of SES differences in development, these perspectives are deeply related to this analytical study [4, 8], and current research develops these theories, explaining the association with the socioeconomic status.

3. Methodology

In this analytical study, the appropriate primary data has been collected from the sample respondents through an organized survey designed in light of the objectives of the study. Due to the scarcity of both time and money, the students studying at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University (a public university in Trishal, Mymensingh, Bangladesh) are treated as the population of this analytical study. The data and information have been collected from a total number of 180 students from different faculties of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, including 05 case studies for qualitative data, and the sample was collected by a convenient method of data collection. This is a mixed-method study, with both qualitative and quantitative methods. A questionnaire was served among the students, and an interviewer collected information on socioeconomic status from the respondent through a face-to-face interview system (also using a Google survey form). Collected data has been organized and evaluated by various mathematical and statistical methods like averages, frequencies, ratios, percentages, and so on to make the study quantitively more revealing. In this paper, data is analyzed and processed using the SPSS-25 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), Microsoft Excel-2019, Google Forms, and other related software. The study used closed- and open-ended questionnaires because the population is literate and large, and the time for collecting data was limited. Additionally, to get proper and accurate data, survey was conducted and revealed the analytical correlation of data and other specific information explored in the discussion and the findings section.

4. Literature review

Socioeconomic sketching is referred to an individual’s or group’s position within a classified social structure. Socioeconomic status is defined as having three proportions: family income, parent’s education level, and parents’ occupational status.² Granger stated that students supposed a larger benefit from performance progress from peers who are in the same performance grouping or socioeconomic level [9]. King found that having a growth mindset was linked with better encouragement and engagement for students, and its effects on academic achievement were moderated by SES [10].

Socioeconomic status depends on a combination of variables, including occupation, education, income, capital, and place of residence. Sociologists often use socioeconomic status as a means of predicting behavior.³ SES is a variable that states the condition held by every individual or group in the structure of society (on the social ranking) and so their social stratification [11]. It is understood as a status-achievement model that defines the stratification process: “discriminations in the family lead to the educational attainment inequalities that result in inequalities in service status”. Also, the SES level of the family has a positive association with the student’s performance [12, 13].

The SES can be reflected in several different ways; it is most often considered by observing parental education, occupation, income, and services used by individuals separately or collectively. Parental education and family SES level have positive associations with the student’s quality of success [14]. Simiyu claims that family income refers to earnings, revenue, rents, and any flow of earnings received. Income can also come in the form of joblessness or worker’s recompense, pensions, interests or surpluses, sovereigns, beliefs, or other governmental, public, or family financial support [15].

A family’s socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social standing in the community (such as interactions within the community, group relatives, and the community’s perception of the family) [16]. Socioeconomic factors, such as family income level, parents’ level of education, race, and gender, all affect the excellence and accessibility of education as well as the capability of education to progress life conditions.⁴ Socioeconomic status has been measured in many traditions, including enlightenment and work-related attainment, experience with poverty, income, and exposure to adversative life measures such as joblessness or monoparental families [17]. Lareau, Annette [18] detects that socioeconomic status is naturally broken into three categories, high, middle, and low, to define the three parts in which a family or an individual may fall into. When engaging a family or individual into one of these groupings, any or all of the three variables, income, education, and occupation, can be measured. The socioeconomic status of parents not only affects academic performance but also makes it possible for a student from a low background to participate well with their counterparts from a high socioeconomic background in the same academic atmosphere. Education is an instrument for development, and it spreads knowledge, helps to identify good and bad, makes people aware, and brings enhancement for an individual and also to the nation. The measure of a person’s work experience and an individual’s or family’s economic and social positions comparative to others is based on income, education, and profession. When examining a family’s SES, the family income, earners’ education, and occupation are observed as well as the joint income versus an individual’s, when their qualities are evaluated.⁵ Although the socioeconomic status indicators seem to differ, the most used are the educational level, parental occupation, and family’s financial level [19]. Socioeconomic status is an economical and sociological shared total quantity of a person’s work experience and an individual’s or family’s economic and social positions relative to others, founded on income, education, and occupation [20].

Additionally, low income and little education have shown to be strong interpreters of a variety of physical and mental health problems due to environmental conditions, which may be the entire cause of that person’s social difficulty to begin with [18]. Ominde detects that education plays a major part in skill sets for obtaining jobs as well as in definite qualities that stratify individuals with higher from those with lower socioeconomic standing [21]. Students with a high level of SES have better grades than those from the middle class. However, middle-class students have healthier results than students from low-SES families [13]. The American Psychological Association (APA) describes socioeconomic status as the social standing or class of an individual or group [22]. SES has been usually used as a hidden idea for measuring family context [23]. Bourdieu proposed that capital can present itself in three essential forms and that economic capital is the foundation of all other forms of capital. The further types of capital are treated as converted and disguised forms of economic capital. Economic capital can be used in the pursuit of other forms of capital; for instance, family income can be used to pay for systematized after-school activities, accessing elite educational prospects, or building up appreciated social networks [24]. Liu illustrates that academic achievement is one of the most important indicators for evaluating students’ performance and educational achievement, and also, the relationship between SES and academic achievement has progressively reduced in the past several decades [25].

A student’s preliminary reading capability is associated with the parental education, knowledgeable environment, the number of books owned, and parent suffering [26, 27]. However, poor families have less access to educational resources and understandings, including books, computers, motivational figures, skill-building instructions, or teachers, to create a positive learning environment [28]. According to the U.S. Census Bureau [29], individuals within the high family-income quartile are 8 times more probable to acquire a bachelor’s degree by age 24 as related to individuals from the lowest family-income quartile [29]. Low SES and revelation of difficulty are related to a decreased educational achievement [30]. Such mental stress in early childhood leads to lifelong impacts on learning, performance, and health [31]. Awareness of family economic stress and personal financial restrictions affected emotional suffering/depression in students and its academic consequences [32]. A study exposed that individuals from a lower social class commonly had less career-related self-efficacy when it came to professional ambitions [33]. Those from higher social-class circumstances tend to be more successful in rising career ambitions and are generally better organized for the sector of work because of access to capital such as careers office, good school, high-level social performers, and household experience with higher education [34]. Rodríguez explored that academic achievement, university experience, and work standing are more strongly related to academic performance than to SES [35].

5. Findings of the study

Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University contains many knowledge seekers representing the overall socioeconomic status of Bangladesh. An excellent survey of the students of this university about their current economic and social conditions can help to explain the current state of economic classes, social behaviors, and rural empowerment conditions that may be influenced by sources of income, the level of education, living conditions, academic performance, educational background, and the opportunities provided by this university.

This study analyzed the socioeconomic factors and conditions that affect the students’ life. Based on the collected sample, the analysis is divided into the socioeconomic background and other parts, which have been discussed below:

Table 1 shows that from the total number of 180 respondents, 99 respondents are female (55%), and 81 respondents are male (45%). The table also reveals that only 10% of the respondents are married, and 90% of the respondents are unmarried. The percentage of respondents aged from 18 to 22 is 55%, and the percentage of respondents aged from 23 to 28 is 45%. Moreover, it illustrates that among all the respondents, 60% of the respondents’ place of residence is residential (university halls), and 40% of them are nonresidential (stay outside of the university halls).

Characteristics	Categories	Percentage (%)
Sex	Male	45.0
	Female	55.0
Age	18–22	55.0
	23–28	45.0
Religion	Islam	95.0
	Hinduism	05.0
Academic year	2nd year Hons	25.0
	3rd year Hons	30.0
	4th year Hons	40.0
	1st year Master’s	05.0
Community	Bengali	100
	Indigenous	00.0
Marital Status	Married	10.0
	Unmarried	90.0
Place of residence	Nonresidential	40.0
	Residential	60.0

Table 1.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents.

Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 2 compares the rate of the living area of the respondents in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Accordingly, among the total number of respondents, 40% used to live in the suburban area, and the lowest rate (25%) used to live in the urban area. Another 35% of them used to live in rural areas.

Figure 2.

Living area of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Table 2 shows the scenario of the parental monthly income of the respondents. Here, the highest percentage is 65% of the respondents (out of 180 respondents) who had a parental monthly income from 10,000 TK to 25,000 TK. In the present situation, this quantity of parental monthly salary reductions largely influences every student because the new age observed that in the present condition, people of Bangladesh are suffering from price hikes. The middle-income family suffered much in the present situation in Bangladesh.

Variables	Categories	Percentage (%)
Family members	1–4	40.0
	5–8	55.0
	9–12	05.0
Parental monthly income	10 k–25 k	65.0
	25 k–40 k	10.0
	40 k+	15.0
	Below <10 k	10.0
Family status	High class	10.0
	Middle class	90.0
Family house type	Own	80.0
	Rental	20.0

Table 2.

Parental monthly income, family members, status, and house-type of the respondents.

Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 3 reveals that the largest percentage of the respondent’s father education is 35%, which is below SSC level. Their educational qualification is below SSC, which indicates that the quality of education is not good enough. The educational status is one of the biggest significant factors to the development and also an element in the progressive sector of the nation. Its impact also influences every student’s personal and academic lives. Besides, the other 65% of the respondents’ father’s educational qualification categories are 30% for SSC/HSC, 20% for undergraduate/graduate, and only 15% belong to postgraduate.

Figure 3.

Father’s education of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 4 indicates the mother’s education of the respondents. It reveals that 40% of respondents’ mother’s education is below SSC. The other 40% is SSC/HSC, and undergraduate or graduate level is 20%.

Figure 4.

Mother’s education of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 5 shows the rate of the scenario of the father’s occupation of the respondents. The largest rate of it is 40%. Accordingly, 40% of the respondent’s father involve with the business-related occupation. The next occupation rate is 15% for farming and government-job holders. The other 30% is divided equally among foreigners, madrasa directors, shopkeepers, and teachers. All these percentages are 5%, respectively.

Figure 5.

Father’s occupation of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 6 shows the respondent’s mother’s occupation. Here, various types of occupations were found among 180 respondents’ mothers. Accordingly, out of 180 respondents, 45% of the mother’s occupation is homemaking; only 23% of the respondents’ mother’s occupation is teaching, and others are involved in a different occupation.

Figure 6.

Mother’s occupation of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Table 3 mentions the respondents’ monthly income, income source, and overall expenditure. Among all the students, 80% of the respondents do not have a monthly income, and only 20% of the respondents have a monthly income, and the source is 20% for tuition, and 5% is business.

Variables	Categories	Percentage (%)
Student’s monthly income (own self)	Below <10 k	20.0
	None	80.0
Income sources (own self)	Business	5.0
	None	75.0
	Tuition	20.0
Student’s education or other monthly expenditure	10 k–25 k	15.0
	Below <10 k	85.0

Table 3.

Monthly income, sources of income, and expenditure of the respondents.

Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 7 reviews who bears the respondents’ overall expenditure. Here, 75% of the respondents’ overall expenditure was borne by family. And other 25% bore an equal rate by themselves, husband, guardian outside the family, close loved ones (elder brother or sister or friends), agency, organization, and institutions.

Figure 7.

Bearer of expenditure of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Table 4 shows that of the total respondents, 90% of the respondents have enough facilities for accessing the internet. Other 10% of the respondents do not have enough facilities for accessing the internet. It also reveals that half of the respondents are satisfied with their socioeconomic status, and half of the respondents’ monthly money is also enough. Another half of the respondents are not satisfied with their socioeconomic status, and the other half of the respondents’ monthly money is not enough. Of all of the respondents, 5% of the respondents support their family financially. 70% of the respondents have mental stress about their economic condition. Other 30% of the respondents have no mental stress about their economic condition. The living area impacts the study fora large percentage, that is, 75% of the respondents. For only 25% of respondents, the living area does not have an impact on their study.

Questions	Categories	Percentage (%)
Do you have enough facilities for accessing the internet?	No	10.0
	Yes	90.0
Is monthly money good enough to fulfill your needs?	No	50.0
	Yes	50.0
Do you have to support your family financially?	No	95.0
	Yes	05.0
Do you have any mental stress about your economic condition?	No	30.0
	Yes	70.0
Are you satisfied with your socioeconomic background?	No	50.0
	Yes	50.0
Does your living area/status impact your study?	No	25.0
	Yes	75.0

Table 4.

Different questions and responses of the respondents.

Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 8 mentions the respondents’ rate of involvement with various human welfare or helpful activities. Here, 50% are involved in social activities, 10% are involved in religious activities, 5% are involved in social and political activities, and the other 5% are involved in social and cultural activities. 30% of the respondents have not been involved with any kind of human welfare or helpful activities.

Figure 8.

Involvement with welfare/helpful activities of the respondents. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 9 describes the rate of the relationship between respondents and family. Here, 70.70% of the respondents’ relationship with their family is very good, 25.25% is good, and 5.5% is very bad. The relationship between respondent and their family is highly related to their social and economic condition.

Figure 9.

Relationship between respondents and his/her family. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 10 mentions the rate of respondents’ family’s rights, priority, or access to make decisions in society. Here, 90% responded in a positive way, and only 10% of the respondents’ families did not have the right, priority, or access to decide in society.

Figure 10.

Respondents’ family’s rights/priority/access to make any decision to the society. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 11 shows that 80% of the respondents think their socioeconomic status affects their personal life, and for only 20%, SES has no effect on their personal life.

Figure 11.

Effect of Socioeconomic Status on respondents’ personal life. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

Figure 12 mentions that 55% of the respondents think that their SES influences their academic study. And 44% of respondents do not think that their SES influences their academic studies.

Figure 12.

Influence of SES on respondents’ academic study. Source: Author’s calculation from survey data.

5.1 Correlation among the respondents’ various variables and the socioeconomic factors, issues, and related criteria

Table 5 shows that male students are more mentally stressed by socioeconomic status (SES), about 72.7%. Again, their SES influences their academic study and also more highly (81.8%) than the female students, and 66.7% of females are satisfied with their SES.

Sex	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Female	33.3	66.7	77.8	22.2	33.3	66.7	33.3	66.7
Male	27.3	72.7	18.2	81.8	9.1	90.9	63.6	36.4

Table 5.

Sex and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 6 reveals the academic year and other SES criteria of the respondents. 4th year Hons students are the 2nd highest in being mentally stressed about their SES, and the highest are the 1st year master’s students. For the influence of SES on students’ academic study, the 2nd year students of honors level are more in percentage (81.8%). The impact of SES on students’ personal life is more among the 3rd year Hons students. 4th year students are highly satisfied with SES.

Academic year	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
1st year Hons	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd year Hons	40	60	60	81.8	20	80	60	40
3rd year Hons	33.3	66.7	33.3	66.7	16.7	83.3	50	50
4th year Hons	25	75	37.5	62.5	25	75	37..5	62.5
1st year Master’s	00	100	100	00	00	100	100	00

Table 6.

Academic year and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 7 illustrates that 72% of unmarried students are mentally stressed because of SES, and also, 55.6% of unmarried students have been influenced by SES, and it impacts their academic study. Again, 83.3% of the unmarried respondents have the impact of SES on their personal life, and all (100%) of the married students are satisfied with SES.

Marital Status	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Married	50	50	50	50	50	50	00	100
Unmarried	27.8	72.2	44.4	55.6	16.7	83.3	55.6	44.4

Table 7.

Marital status and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Parental income affects students’ SES, and Table 8 explains the parental monthly income and other socioeconomic criteria of the students. All of the respondents whose parental income is under 10000Tk have the highest mental stress for socioeconomic status (SES). Those students whose parental monthly income averages from 25,000 to 40,000 Tk have the influence of SES on their academic study and also the impact of SES on their personal life. On the other hand, all of the respondents are satisfied with their SES whose parents have above 40000Tk of monthly income.

Parental Monthly Income	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
10 k–25 k	23.1	76.9	46.2	53.8	15.4	84.6	53.8	46.2
25 k–40 k	50	50	00	100	00	100	50	50
40 k+	66.7	33.3	66.7	33.3	66.7	33.3	00	100
Below<10 k	00	100	50	50	00	100	100	00

Table 8.

Parental monthly income and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 9 shows that all the respondents (100%) whose father’s education is under the SSC level have the most mental stress. Those whose father’s education levels are undergraduate or graduate think that their SES influences their academic study, and those whose fathers are postgraduate (100%) are fully satisfied with their SES.

Father’s education	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Below SSC	00	100	57.1	42.9	14.3	85.7	57.1	42.9
Postgraduate	66.7	33.3	66.7	33.3	66.7	33.3	00	100
SSC/HSC	33.3	66.7	33.3	66.7	16.7	83.3	83.3	16.7
Undergraduate/graduate	50	50	25	75	00	100	25	75

Table 9.

Father’s education and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 10 reveals that of the respondents, those with the mother’s education under the SSC level (88%) have the most mental stress. Also, for those whose mother’s education levels are SSC/HSC (87.5%), their SES influences their academic study, and those whose mothers are undergraduate/graduate (80%) are mostly satisfied with their SES.

Mother’s Education	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Below SSC	12	88	62	38	20	80	62	38
Post-graduate	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
SSC/HSC	25	75	12	88	13	87	62.5	37.5
Undergraduate/graduate	75	25	75	25	75	25	40	60

Table 10.

Mother’s education and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 11 illustrates that those respondents whose fathers are in a government job, private job, or teaching position have less mental stress for SES. Again, those respondents whose fathers are farmers, retired government officers, shopkeepers (67%), and retired government employees are more influenced by the SES, and this impacts their academic study highly. On the other hand, those whose father’s occupation is shopkeeping (60%) are less satisfied with their SES.

Father’s occupation	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Business	50	50	40	60	35	65	41	59
Farming	40	60	50	50	47	53	50	50
Foreigner	60	40	35	65	43	57	45	55
Government job	70	30	82	18	56	44	35	65
Madrasa-related job	45	55	38	62	41	59	44	56
Private job	63	37	60	40	32	68	48	52
Retired government job	38	62	54	46	23	77	50	50
Shopkeeper	33	67	24	76	35	65	60	40
Teacher	55	45	58	42	40	60	45	55

Table 11.

Father’s occupation and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 12 reveals the data about the mother’s occupation and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents. Among the students, those whose mothers are teachers (30%) are mentally less stressed about the SES, and those whose mothers are involved with other occupations (65%) have the most influence of SES on their academic study, and 63% have the impact of SES on their personal life. Among the students whose mothers are teachers, 50% of the respondents are satisfied with their SES.

Mother’s occupation	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
Housewife	22	78	44	56	45	55	56	44
Teacher	70	30	50	50	43	57	50	50
Others	40	60	35	65	37	63	58	42

Table 12.

Mother’s occupation and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 13 shows that those students who are supporting their families financially, 70% are mentally stressed about their SES, and have the impact of SES on their personal life. This table also says that for students who are not supporting their families financially, 58% have the influence of SES on their academic study, and 53% of them are satisfied with their SES.

Supporting the family financially	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
No	32	68	42	58	21	79	47	53
Yes	30	70	40	60	35	65	60	40

Table 13.

Supporting the family financially and other socioeconomic criteria of the respondents.

Table 14 illustrates that for those students whose family has equal the rights/access/priority to make any decision in society, 72% of the students have mental stress from SES; 55% have an influence of SES on their academic study; 83% have the impact of SES on their personal life; 50% of the students have satisfaction with SES. On the other hand, those students whose family has not had equal rights/excess/priority to make any decision in society, 70% of the respondents have mental stress from SES; 60% have the influence of SES on their academic study; 75% have the impact of SES on their personal life; and 50% of the students are satisfied with their SES state.

Family’s equal rights/access/priority to make any decision in the society	Student’s mental stress for SES		Influence of SES on student’s academic study		Impact of SES on student’s personal life		Student’s satisfaction with SES
	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)	No (%)	Yes (%)
No	30	70	40	60	25	75	50	50
Yes	28	72	45	55	17	83	50	50

Table 14.

Family’s access/priority to equal rights for making any decision to the society and other socioeconomic variables of the respondents.

6. Case study of the respondents

6.1 Case study-1

Ramisa (pseudonym) comes from a lower-class family in Bangladesh’s rural areas. She is an Hons 3rd year student at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University. The financial condition of her family is not very good. Her father is a farmer, and her mother is a housewife. There are seven members in her family. Her family’s monthly income is 15,000 Taka. Since her family members are large in number, they face some problems surviving on less income. Her educational or other monthly expenditure is 5000 Taka. Her family bears her educational or other expenditure, and she said that it is good enough to fulfill her needs. As she does not have any income sources, she cannot support her family. She wants to change her current socioeconomic status because she faces some practical problems like underestimating her neighbors and classmates. Her current socioeconomic background makes some social and economic problems, so she is not satisfied with this background. She said, “Sometimes I face an economic shortage. I feel tension to manage the money insufficiency. But I try to prevent it and let it not affect my academic studies.”

6.2 Case study-2

MD Omar Farooqui comes from a middle-income family in Bangladesh’s rural areas. He is now 21. He is a 2nd year Hons student at a public university in Mymensingh from 2022. Even though he was expected to complete his undergraduate by 2023, the problematic environment due to Covid-19 has hampered his educational preparation. He tries to abide by the rules of Islam. He comes from the Bengali community. His is unmarried. He is a resident of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall at JKKNIU, a suburban area. His family consists of 7 members called an extended family. His parent earns monthly around 25,000 TK. His parent’s educational background is below SSC due to a lack of financial aid and mental support. His father is making a business to run his family in a good way. They are living in their own house, which is in a rural area of Bangladesh. His monthly expenditure (including education or others) is around 5 to 6 thousand TK, but he has no connection to earning in his own way. His family bears his monthly expenditure, but sometimes that is not good enough to fulfill his needs. He does not have to support his family financially. He is associated with social activities such as the blood donation club whose main focus is to serve free blood. He is now facing mental stress for educational worries and some financial condition. Despite his financial condition, he has a very good relationship with his family and is satisfied with his socioeconomic background. He considers that socioeconomic status affects his life, increases the financial difficulties, and influences his academic study. He does not have enough facilities for using the internet. His family is connected with social activities such as the madrasa or mosque. As a result, they have a distinct acceptance and equal rights, access, or priority to make any decisions in society.

6.3 Case study-3

Every student has different characteristics. Their socioeconomic status is also different. Similarly, a 3rd year student of Jatiya Kavi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, who does not want to reveal his name, describes his socioeconomic status and says that he comes from Barguna; he stays in the mess without getting a seat in the university hall. His family lives in a village in Barguna. His father is a farmer, and his mother is a housewife. They are six siblings. He is the second child among the siblings. All his siblings are currently studying. All the expenses of the family along with their education expenses are borne by his father alone. And for this, his father has to work a lot. However, the individual cannot afford all the expenses. In such a case, he gives tuition between classes. This makes it a little easier to manage his educational expenses. When asked if it is possible to cover all the expenses with the money from the family and that he earns, he replies that no, more money is needed to complete it. For example, he says that he cannot buy all the teaching materials and takes the help of friends. Again, in terms of food, he cannot eat three full meals daily. In addition, he has to reduce other expenses. Meanwhile, as Trishal is a upazila city, the fee for tuition here is much lower than in other university areas. He does not have enough time to study due to the large amount of time required for tuition and is not paid accordingly. It was his main aim to get admission to the university and take regular classes and study regularly. But due to financial difficulties, he cannot devote much time to his studies. Sometimes, he even has to miss classes. He also said that if his socioeconomic status was good then he could have done very well in his studies. And he hoped that he would do well by enrolling in the university. But that was hampered by him not being able to take regular classes. In each course of each semester, he only managed to take the number of classes required to qualify for the minimum exam. And he could not devote much time to his study’s department. Although there were various organizations at the university, he could not get much involved in the organization due to a lack of time. At one point, he says that a student’s socioeconomic status has a great influence on his studies and that goes without saying if that student is a university student. University students have to be regularly involved in various academic activities including regular classes and studies. Without a good certificate in appreciation of academic studies, it becomes very difficult for them to get a job. Therefore, it is very urgent to say that the socioeconomic status of a university student has a great influence on his studies. The student even deviates from the original goal of university admission at one point to meet his financial needs.

6.4 Case study-4

Md Samir is a boy from a middle-class family. He is 22 now. He is a 2nd year Honors student at JKKNIU; he comes from a Muslim family, belonging the Bengali community. He is living in a suburban area and is unmarried. There are 4 members in the family. His father’s monthly income was less than 10 thousand, and he did not study further after SSC because of his familial problem. Samir’s father is a farmer, and his mother is a homemaker. There is a small house on their land. Samir does not have any monthly income because he does not do anything to study. His monthly expenditure is less than 5 thousand, and his father bears this expenditure, but this is not enough for him. He involves in many social welfare activities. He is suffering from too much mental stress for his economic condition. His socioeconomic status affects his personal life. He is not satisfied with his socioeconomic status. Apart from this, his relationship with his family is very good. Their economic condition influences his academic study badly. He cannot bear his academic cost properly. As a result, he sometimes becomes depressed. And it affects his study. He is living in a residential hall at his university. For this reason, his living area does not impact his study, and he has enough facilities for internet access. The moral of the story is that Samir’s socioeconomic status is not good, and it affects his academic life.

6.5 Case study-5

Uttam Kumar (pseudonym) is a student in the Finance and Banking Department of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University. While conducting an interview on his socioeconomic status, it is known that he lives in the village of Ulipur upazila under the Kurigram district. He belongs to a middle-class family. His father is the sole earner in their, family and his mother is a housewife. He is the eldest among three sisters and two brothers. When asked about the cost of Uttam’s education, he said that he earns two thousand Tk per month from tuition and takes the rest of the cost of education from his family. However, this money is not enough to meet his needs. Uttam said that the income from his father is enough for his family. He does not have to provide any financial support to his family. He is associated with a voluntary organization called Rangdhanu of the university. Because he takes a certain amount of money from home every month, if there is no tuition in a month, the money gets strained. The relationship between Uttam and his family is quite good. But he has to study very hard. He is not satisfied with his financial condition. He said, “This economic condition of mine has had a lot of impact on my formal education because I have to get tuition along with my studies. I have to keep calculating. Thinking about money sometimes disrupts my focus on studies.” He said that he has enough opportunities to use the internet. And both men and women have equal rights in decision-making in their families.

7. Limitations of the study

This organized assessment has certain limitations; all of the studies were done using self-reports, which caused socially desirable responses. However, associated with offline and/or face-to-face surveys, the study’s online arrangement (some) may have increased the reliability of the responses. The data sample was small, but the researcher did his best to acquire as much evidence as possible. Because of the limited time and capital, a country-wide study could not be conducted among all university students. The most significant limitation was gaining access to all the students of because many of them had no access to phones and had limited time to face the interview.

8. Conclusion

Some economic factors like family income, parental occupation, social standard, lifestyle, and others describe the socioeconomic status of a man. We assume that the students of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University have come from different economic backgrounds including different occupations, diverse sources of income, different amounts of annual family income, and various economic classes. The profession of the parents of students was mainly from business groups and jobholders who lived in the urban areas. But gaps between the rural and the urban and those between the economic classes are going to equalize. So, this research will find information about the students. The majority of the students of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University belong to middle-class families. Omoraka noted that all students have certain requirements, physical and sociological, which, when met, really contribute to their academic performance.⁶ These desires may include a favorable reading atmosphere, good food, playing ground, adequacy of books, and easy availability of good schools. All of these help students with effective learning and good achievement in schools [36]. Viewing such a medium as a form of innovation, the five socioeconomic characteristics, namely, gender, age, income level, education level, and exposure to the internet, were hypothesized to see whether there was any relationship between these five factors and the consumer’s willingness to adopt e-commerce.⁷ According to Sabzwari (2004), the following factors play a vital role in academic achievements of pupils [37].

1. Separation of the parents

2. Family size

3. Parental sontribution

4. Parents’ education level

5. Level of earning

Most of the students depend on family income. Socioeconomic status has a greater influence on personal life. By knowing someone’s background, a decision will be taken easily. But there is no database of students about their condition, and the university authority does not take any initiative in this.⁸ All decisions about students are taken by ignoring their socioeconomic status. Above data, most students come to Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University from different districts of Bangladesh [38]. A student from high socioeconomic status is treated nicely, but unfortunately, students coming from lower-class families are not seen equally. For example, a lower-class student faces much discrimination for only his/her socioeconomic status. Above 60% of the students stay outside of the hall, which means that the university’s residential facilities are not enough. On the other hand, the university has no career plan for students according to the demand of the present era. To revise the system’s understanding of the socioeconomic status of students, there is a crying need for the university to make a database at the time of admission with a well-designed form, and modern information technology can be used to develop this. University authority and teachers should take a decision based on the socioeconomic profile of the students [39]. Furthermore, labeling someone badly, such as poor or lower class, affects his/her life deeply, which has an intense impact on the academic performance too, and the student cannot easily get out from this labeling. We sometimes tag or label someone without knowing something or with knowing something, and this incident effect much of a person’s life. An individual rarely can overcome the imagination of being labeled by someone or a group of people, and for that reason, he/she perhaps continues his/her previous work badly. For example, when people say some bitter words to a poor child, he sometimes feels bad and starts crying. Labeling someone as poor or rich is not a good deed, because it impacts them negatively. Sometimes, we often identify someone only by seeing their clothes or something similar. Rich people get many advantages from being labeled by society, and the poor are facing problems. Again, we accept the crime done by the rich for their power and dominance, but we are strict about the similar work done by poor or low socioeconomic-status people. This condition creates many impacts on the people coming from lower socioeconomic status; they are labeled and are becoming the bad victim of something worst. A student from a lower socioeconomic status is not the bearer of low brilliance or low productivity of knowledge, and the student can also prove himself/herself. But when we label someone for their outward appearance or social class, they may suffer from depression over their position, and it also impacts their academic education or life. However, a high-resources family invests high budgets in the development of children (students), which is a supportive thing for their entire life, if applied politely, but the poor students cannot get more facilities from the investment of family, because their SES is not good. Finally, socioeconomic status (SES) is an efficient factor for the students, which impacts their academic life and also influences their mental health and overall personal life.