Self-diagnosed Depression of Chinese High School Students: Do Gender and Urban-Rural Location Make a Difference?

Depression is a worldwide common mental illness, and its burden is on the rise globally, particularly for adolescents. Surprisingly, a review of the literature indicates that there are much fewer studies conducted using Chinese adolescents as study subjects, which is not commensurable to China being the fastest developing country with 1/5 of the global population. The purpose of this study is to understand the self-diagnosed depression level of Chinese adolescents and examine if gender and rural-urban location make a difference. Using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), 72 high school students in two high schools of different locations in Southern China were surveyed. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate statistical t-tests. Results indicate that the students have on average a mild mood disturbance, while 18% of them had moderate or severe depression. The mean level of male students' mood disturbance is much higher than that of female students, although it is not statistically significant. Urban students' mood disturbance level is significantly higher than rural students. This study supports the efficient implementation of depression research in China by providing a snapshot of high school students' mental health from the perspective of the surveyed results through self-assessment. Implications for high school mental health counseling and further research are discussed.