Correlates of depression in high school students

Abstract

To describe the prevalence and correlates of depression in high school students. Using data from the national 2001 school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), we identified all students who replied affirmatively to the question “During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?” A three-stage cluster sample design was used for YRBS 2001 to have a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9 to 12. Logistic regression analysis using STATA statistical software package was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for the association of depression with various demographic variables. The overall prevalence of depression was 27.8% (95% confidence interval CI = 26.3–29.3) ( n = 11,998). In girls the prevalence was 34.2% (95% CI = 32.0–36.2); in boys it was 21.2% (95% CI = 19.8–22.5). Girls were almost twice as likely as boys to report depression (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.78–2.16), and Hispanic–Latinos were more likely than whites to report depression (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.16–1.63). Compared with urban dwellers, suburban residence status was associated with protection from depression (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.69–0.94). No statistically significant association was found with depression and grade of students. Among all the students who reported depression in the past 12 months, 45% seriously considered suicide. Among all the students who considered suicide, 66% made a plan on how to attempt suicide; among all the students who planned suicide, 58% actually attempted suicide. Hispanic–Latino females were more likely to have suffered from depression in the past 12 months. Health education programs in high schools need to be specifically targeting this group.