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Ragging is an initiation ritual carried out in Sri Lankan universities, where new students are harassed by senior students. This practice has severe adverse consequences including depression, increased university dropouts and suicide. Although this is a significant public health problem and a burden on the country, research on ragging is scarce.

This thesis aimed to investigate and gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of ragging, through the various perspectives of students and individuals attached to the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The prevalence of Major depressive disorder (MDD) among the students was also examined. 

Paper I, a cross-sectional survey, demonstrated that 59% of the students from the faculties of Medicine and Technology experienced ragging. Health consequences were experienced by 54% and help was mainly sought from friends and family. The student’s faculty and year of study was associated with ragging.

In Paper II, 17 focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with students representing all faculties. Thematic analysis was employed to navigate through the theoretical lenses of structural violence, intersectionality, and social dominance. Findings revealed students used ragging as an expression of power to initiate order and express dissatisfaction towards social inequalities. Students trivialized violence despite being aware of the dire consequences.

In Paper III, 11 semi-structured interviews and seven FDGs were conducted with staff and work-affiliated individuals at the university. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis and Bandura’s Moral Disengagement theory were utilized to interpret the findings. The main discourses were; Ragging as normal and necessary, Insecurity and fear of reprisal, and Voices of resistance. Participants felt unsupported and in order to survive in this insecure environment, they adapted their moral judgments.

In Paper IV, Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-9) were used to screen for MDD among students (n=637), from Faculties of Management, Science and Medicine. MDD was experienced by 31% of students. Among all the student participants, 70% had experienced some form of depression ranging from mild to severe. MDD was associated with the student’s ethnicity.

Interventions targeting both individual and multisectoral levels are needed in order to curb ragging, and create a safe and nurturing environment for all.