Abstract
Background: Depression among adolescents has been recognized as a public health problem all over the world. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, there is a need for more research on the epidemiology of adolescent depression as this will guide prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Objectives: The study sought to determine the one month prevalence and predictors of depression among a sample of in-school adolescents in a rural region in South West Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive survey among 540 secondary school students randomly selected from the six secondary schools in the study area using a Socio demographic Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire modified for Adolescents. Subsequently, a proportion of them were interviewed with the Kiddies Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Results: Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 17. Respondents were aged 10 - 19 years (mean age was 14.07 ± 1.84). The one month prevalence of depression among the study population was 16.3% (using weighting method). Logistic regression analysis showed that death of a mother (OR = 11.786, 95% CI, 1.990 - 23.184), being from a polygamous family (OR = 5.781, 95% CI, 3.253 - 24.371), low socioeconomic class (OR = 6.222, 95% CI, 4.705 - 23.379), having a single parent (OR = 2.236, 95% CI, 0.869 - 11.786), having witnessed frequent violence (OR = 12.411, 95% CI, 0.516 - 29.851) and positive history of sexual abuse (OR = 0.203, 95% CI, 0.003 - 0.529) were significantly and independently associated with depression in this sample of adolescents. Conclusion: The one month prevalence of adolescent depression within the study population is slightly higher than what has been reported in other parts of the world. Therefore, there is a need for government to design and implement policies which can help to prevent, detect early, and treat depression among youths especially in rural areas.
Highlights
In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, there is a need for more research on the epidemiology of adolescent depression as this will guide prevention, diagnosis and treatment
Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive survey among 540 secondary school students randomly selected from the six secondary schools in the study area using a Socio demographic Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire modified for Adolescents
Depressive disorder as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood, loss of interest and enjoyment and reduced energy leading to increased fatigability and diminished activity [1]
Summary
Depressive disorder as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood, loss of interest and enjoyment and reduced energy leading to increased fatigability and diminished activity [1]. It is the most common form of emotional problem experienced during adolescence and may be accompanied by inappropriate guilt or regret, worthlessness, hopelessness, and confused thinking [2] [3]. Objectives: The study sought to determine the one month prevalence and predictors of depression among a sample of in-school adolescents in a rural region in South West Nigeria.
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