<![CDATA[Mental health problems among female university students are complex phenomena involving academic and non-academic stressors, previous life experiences, interpersonal relationships, and coping processes. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of female university students in experiencing mental health problems, including sources of stress, personal meanings of stressful experiences, impacts on academic and personal functioning, and coping strategies. This qualitative study employed an interpretative phenomenological approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four female university students aged 21–23 years who showed indications of depressive symptoms in screening and had accessed campus psychological counseling within the previous six months were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through individual semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using the IPA stages. The findings identified four major themes: predisposing factors, precipitating stressors, manifestations of mental health problems, and impacts of mental health problems, with coping strategies emerging as an important additional finding. Participants described histories of violence, maladaptive parenting, family and social conflicts, academic and non-academic stressors, psychological and cognitive distress, self-harm or risky behaviors, physical complaints, and sleep disturbances. These experiences were associated with difficulties in academic, social, and spiritual functioning. Coping strategies ranged from seeking professional counseling to potentially harmful responses. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive and responsive university mental health services that integrate screening, counseling, social support, safety assessment, and professional referral.]]>
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