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Article History

Received: 24 June 2025

Accepted: 5 February 2026

First Online: 20 February 2026

Declarations

:

: This study was reviewed and approved by the Research and Development Cell of MIER College of Education, Jammu, India. MIER College of Education does not have a separate formal ethics committee or IRB; the Research and Development Cell serves as the institution’s research oversight body. The study involved anonymous, voluntary online surveys of adult higher education students (18 + years) with no collection of sensitive personal data. All procedures were conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (2013).

: Informed written consent was obtained from all participants before data collection. Participants were clearly informed about the study’s purpose, that their participation was voluntary, their right to withdraw at any time without consequences, and that their responses would be used for research purposes while remaining completely anonymous and confidential. The consent process included clear information about the study’s purpose, procedures, and data usage. All participants were adults (18 years and above) enrolled in higher education programmes, and no participants under 18 were included in the study.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.