Depression and Its Determinant Factors Among University of Gondar Medical and Health Science Students, Northwest Ethiopia: Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: 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 (BDI-II) 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.