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Depressive symptoms in adolescents in Kuching, Malaysia: Prevalence and associated factors
Author(s) -
Ang Ai Ling,
Wahab Suzaily,
Abd Rahman Fairuz Nazri,
Hazmi Helmy,
Md Yusoff Rosliwati
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/ped.13778
Subject(s) - medicine , marital status , suicidal ideation , depression (economics) , logistic regression , demography , depressive symptoms , beck depression inventory , clinical psychology , suicide prevention , psychiatry , poison control , environmental health , population , anxiety , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Background The trend of depression is rising worldwide. There are limited studies on depression in adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and identify the factors associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents in Kuching, Malaysia, and to analyze the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 320 students from urban and rural secondary schools. The participants were randomly selected via multi‐stage sampling. They completed the Malay versions of the Children's Depression Inventory ( CDI ) and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation ( BSS ). Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 26.2%. On binary logistic regression analysis, variables with significant association with depressive symptoms were race ( P = 0.028), type of class ( P < 0.001), mother's education level ( P = 0.036), type of housing ( P = 0.036), parents’ marital status ( P = 0.012), alcohol intake ( P = 0.005), stealing ( P < 0.001) and history of disciplinary record ( P = 0.005). Variables that remained significant on multivariable logistic regression were type of class ( P = 0.004), parents’ marital status ( P = 0.017) and stealing ( P < 0.001). Students from the Arts stream ( OR , 2.43) with parents who were separated, divorced or widowed ( OR , 3.13) and who had experience of stealing ( OR , 3.27) were predicted to be at risk of developing depressive symptoms. There was a significant correlation between total CDI score and total BSS score ( P < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents was high. Depressive symptoms are significantly correlated with suicidal ideation. Greater collaboration between the education and health agencies is essential for mental health promotion in schools and early detection of depression, especially in at‐risk adolescents.