Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression Among Undergraduate Students in Gombe State University

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Depression is a common mental disorder that can affect all aspect of life including relationships with family, friends and community. Depression is characterized by loss of interest or pleasure, insomnia, low appetite, poor concentration and suicidal tendencies. The objectives of the study is to determine the level of awareness and knowledge, prevalence and risk factors of depression among undergraduate students in Gombe State University. Materials and Method: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among 411 undergraduate students in Gombe State University. Data were collected using a digital self-administered questionnaire adapted from Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and were analyzed using IBM- Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS version 23.2). Results: the mean age of the respondents 22.8 ± 3.5 year, 76.6% were aware of depression with 50.6% having good knowledge about depression. The prevalence of depression was found to be 55.4% while 26.3%, 14.6%, 10.7%, and 3.8% having mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression. Factors such as level of study, level of knowledge, chronic medical or surgical illness, physical or sexual abuse and menstrual difficulty were found to be statistically significant (p value < 0.05) and were associated with depression. Conclusion: Depression with various level of severity was found among the respondents, therefore regular screening and establishment of support groups is recommended. Also further research is recommended to aid in policy making to reduce the prevalence of depression among the students. Keyword: Depression, prevalence, Undergraduate, Gombe, severity.