Abstract:
Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by loss of interest or
pleasure. Prevalence of depression is varied in different groups and countries. No adequate
study has been undertaken in Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of
depression and determinant factors among University of Gondar Medical and Health
Sciences students, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out using simple random
sampling technique to select study participants and the study was conducted from June to
July 2019. We used self-administered second edition of Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDIII) to collect data on depressive symptoms. The sample size was determined using a single
population proportion formula. We entered the data using Epi Info 7 and then exported into
Stata 14 for analysis. A binary logistic regression was used to identify determinant factors of
depression. In the final model, a variable with a p<0.05 was considered as a significant factor
for depression by an adjustment of odds ratio with 95% of uncertainty interval (UI).
Results: Three hundred and eighty-three students completed the questionnaire with 97.7%
response rate. The mean age of participants was 20.8 (±1.83, 18–34) years. The prevalence of
depression was 34.73% (95% UI: 29.94–39.52%). The odds of having depression was higher
among students who came from rural family (AOR=1.67, 95% UI: 1.02–2.72), who experienced tooth grinding (AOR=2.79, 95% UI: 1.36–5.74), who had night sleep disturbances
(AOR=1.95, 95% UI: 1.17–3.25), who reported daytime sleepiness (AOR=1.93, 95% UI:
1.16–3.20), who had reported stress (AOR=4.20, 95% UI: 1.90–9.26), and those studying
Health sciences (AOR=2.65, 95% UI: 1.34–5.26).
Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among university students was high which
could lead to loss of personal control, disturbed learning capacity, and social interaction.
Preventive strategies such as life skills training should be given for prevention and management of depression particularly targeting students coming from a rural family, those with
stress, and having poor sleep quality.
Keywords: Beck’s Depression Inventory, depression, university student, Ethiopia
