A Multivariate Analysis Using Mahalanobis Distance on the Big Five Inventory and Dass-21

The post-pandemic era has observed numerous changes and has gone through multiple stages of evolution. This era has witnessed significant changes in psychological aspects, with a general increase in terms of depression, anxiety and stress. A descriptive survey is carried out in Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, West Bengal, India. Data collected by administering on Big Five Inventory and DASS-21 scales on 600 postgraduate students. A stratified random sampling technique is considered for the collection of data. Comparison between male-female, rural-urban and arts-science students for the variables of Big Five Inventory (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience) and DASS-21 (Stress, Anxiety and Depression) separately and together as a group has been taken up. Significant differences are found for Openness to Experience and Depression when gender is taken as dichotomous variable and t-test is administered. There are no significant differences for all other cases. The study uses Mahalanobis Distance to find out the dynamical nature of variables of Big Five Inventory and DASS-21, with no significant differences between male-female, rural-urban and arts-science students.