https://journal.civiliza.org/index.php/symbiohealth <p><strong>Symbiohealth </strong>is published by <strong>civiliza Publisher </strong>and distributed twice a year . <strong>Symbiohealth</strong> is dedicated to researchers and academics intent on publishing research, scientific thinking, and other original scientific ideas. <strong>Symbiohealth</strong> scientific periodical publication on Public Health Science and Healthcare Studies issue as a media for information dissemination of research results for lecturer, researcher, and practitioner. </p> Civiliza Publishing en-US Symbiohealth 3021-7415 https://journal.civiliza.org/index.php/symbiohealth/article/view/1051 <p>The global crisis in graduate student mental health is well-documented, yet research from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by conducting a sociological analysis of the nexus between academic stress and mental well-being among graduate students in Sindh, Pakistan, a context marked by significant socioeconomic constraints. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed, using a structured questionnaire administered to a stratified random sample of 250 M.Phil. and Ph.D. students from Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and Chi-square tests. The analysis reveals that academic stress, financial precarity, and gender are significant predictors of poor mental well-being. Fear of unemployment/job insecurity was the highest-ranked stressor (Mean=8.92). Self-funded students were significantly more likely to report severe anxiety (41.2%) than those with grants (8.3%). Female gender was a significant predictor of poorer well-being (β=.121, p=.016). Conversely, social support demonstrated a strong protective effect (β=-.385, p&lt;.001). The findings indicate that psychological distress among graduate students is not an individual failing but a socially structured outcome, produced by a confluence of systemic pressures, economic insecurity, and institutional practices. The study argues for a paradigm shift from pathologizing individual resilience to reforming the socioeconomic and institutional architectures of graduate education in developing contexts.</p> Muhammad Asif Abdul Rasool Khoso Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Asif, Abdul Rasool Khoso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-10-28 2025-10-28 4 1 1 12 10.59525/symbiohealth.1051 https://journal.civiliza.org/index.php/symbiohealth/article/view/1099 <p>Tobacco smoking remains a formidable public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries like Pakistan. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding cigarette smoking among 800 residents of Lahore, selected via a multi-stage sampling technique. The findings reveal a smoking prevalence of 23%, with initiation primarily occurring in late adolescence (mean age 19.2 years) and driven predominantly by peer pressure (75%) and stress relief (56.3%). While knowledge of major health risks like lung cancer was high (94%), a significant gap existed between this knowledge and personal risk perception, alongside the powerful influence of socio-cultural norms, including the high social acceptability of male smoking (75.5%) and the perceived efficacy of smoking for stress relief (81.8%). The study concludes that despite adequate awareness, smoking behavior in Lahore is sustained by deep-rooted social and cultural factors, underscoring the urgent need for public health interventions that extend beyond informational campaigns to address these normative and psychological drivers.</p> Ifra Zaheer Huma Shahzad Faseeha Fatima Farhad Ali Attaullah Veesar Copyright (c) 2025 Ifra Zaheer, Huma Shahzad, Faseeha Fatima, Farhad Ali, Attaullah Veesar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-11-10 2025-11-10 4 1 13 20 10.59525/symbiohealth.1099