BACKGROUND: Depression is the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide, and severity and suicidality are useful predictors of an adverse outcome. AIM: This study aimed at examining factors associated with depression among university students in Tanzania. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2018 and July 2019 of undergraduate students across four universities. They completed a self-reported questionnaire collecting socio-demographic, together with a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictors of depression. RESULTS: A total of 1047 students completed the study. Their mean (±SD) age was 24.2 (±7) years. 219 students (21.3%) screened positive for probable depression (survey-1 34% vs survey-2 13%). A total of 228 (21.9%) students reported having thoughts of serious self-harm. Factors independently influencing depression included year of study, substance abuse, unhappy interpersonal relationships and chronic mental or physical illness. The presence of an eating disorder was a predictor of depression and was recorded in 7.4% of all students. CONCLUSION: Significant probable depression is present in one fifth of undergraduate students in this study. These results demonstrate a worrying degree of self- reported features of depression among North Tanzanian university students.
BACKGROUND: Depression is the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide, and severity and suicidality are useful predictors of an adverse outcome. AIM: This study aimed at examining factors associated with depression among university students in Tanzania. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2018 and July 2019 of undergraduate students across four universities. They completed a self-reported questionnaire collecting socio-demographic, together with a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictors of depression. RESULTS: A total of 1047 students completed the study. Their mean (±SD) age was 24.2 (±7) years. 219 students (21.3%) screened positive for probable depression (survey-1 34% vs survey-2 13%). A total of 228 (21.9%) students reported having thoughts of serious self-harm. Factors independently influencing depression included year of study, substance abuse, unhappy interpersonal relationships and chronic mental or physical illness. The presence of an eating disorder was a predictor of depression and was recorded in 7.4% of all students. CONCLUSION: Significant probable depression is present in one fifth of undergraduate students in this study. These results demonstrate a worrying degree of self- reported features of depression among North Tanzanian university students.
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Keywords:
Depression; Tanzania; factors; prevalence; undergraduate students
Authors: Yaqin Zhong; Elizabeth Schroeder; Yuexia Gao; Xiaojun Guo; Yuanyuan Gu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-01-13 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Mark Mohan Kaggwa; Innocent Arinaitwe; Elicana Nduhuura; Moses Muwanguzi; Jonathan Kajjimu; Moses Kule; Noble Ajuna; Ivan Machacha; Rahel Nkola; Sarah Maria Najjuka; Nicholas Kisaakye Wamala; Felix Bongomin; Mark D Griffiths; Godfrey Zari Rukundo; Mohammed A Mamun Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-04-14 Impact factor: 5.435