Traffic Congestion: The Stress Experienced by School Students of Shillong

Abstract

Shillong is a city with a steady increase in traffic congestion and roadblocks that can last up to hours making commuting a difficult business. Our study seeks to show the impact of traffic congestion on students’ mental health. Our study was conducted on a sample of 297 students of which 80 were male students and 217 were female students belonging to the age group of 13-19, who commute to schools located in the most traffic-prone location in the city which are in Mawkhar and Laitumkhrah respectively. The tools used include The Perceived Stress Scale, The Psychological Well-being Scale, and a Coping Scale. An interview method was also used to ascertain feedback and explore the students’ experiences. Our findings from the Perceived Stress Scale show that 17.2% of students have high perceived stress, 75.1% have moderate stress, and 7.7% have low stress. Findings from the Psychological Well-being Scale show that 98.0% of students have moderate psychological well-being and 2.0% have high psychological well-being. The Coping Scale findings show that 6.4% of students have low levels of coping, 69.7% have moderate coping, and 23.9% have high coping. Qualitative findings indicate that traffic stress affects the students’ moods and attitudes towards others.