IMPACT OF FINANCIAL STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF GILGIT BALTISTAN

Abstract

Introduction: Financial stress is increasingly being considered a significant factor of concern among university students since it impacts emotional stability, daily functioning, and the capacity to maintain academic activity in economically limited environments like Gilgit-Baltistan.

Aim: The purpose of the scoping review was to map evidence available regarding the effects of financial stress on psychological well-being and academic achievements among university students, in particular, Gilgit-Baltistan.

Methodology: A scoping review was undertaken as per the advice of Arksey and O’Malley and PRISMA-ScR. Major databases and regional sources were searched. The 16 major empirical studies which passed the pre-defined PICOS-based criteria were summarized and charted in a narrative way.

Findings: Financial stress was reportedly and consistently related to increased anxiety, depression, distress, poor sleep, and a decrease in well-being across the included studies. A number of studies also associated financial strain with poorer GPA, failure in examinations, decrease in academic activity, and dropout possibility. These were however mostly cross-sectional and located beyond Gilgit-Baltistan. No research was done specifically on university students in Gilgit-Baltistan. This highlights a clear regional gap in the current literature.

Conclusion: Financial stress seems to be a relevant predictor of student mental health and student achievement. Financial support must be combined with counseling and student-retention programs in universities in Gilgit-Baltistan, and future research in the region will need to be more direct and provide context-specific evidence.