Prevalence and factors associated with depression among higher secondary school adolescents of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with depression among adolescents attending higher secondary schools in the Pokhara Metropolitan City of Nepal. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was adopted. SETTING: Four randomly selected higher secondary schools of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS: 312 randomly sampled higher secondary school students. METHODS: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to assess the level of depression among students. The data collected through a self-administered questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistical methods such as frequency and percentage. χ(2) test and unadjusted OR (UOR) were calculated to assess the statistical relationship between depression and various variables at 95% CI, with level of significance at p<0.05. RESULTS: The study found a high prevalence of depression among high school students, with more than two-fifths (44.2%) of students having depression. Furthermore, almost a quarter (25.3%) of the students were noted to have mild depression and 18.9% of the students expressed major depression. Students who had low perceived social support (UOR: 3.604; 95% CI 2.088 to 6.220), did not share their problems with anyone (UOR: 1.931; 95% CI 1.228 to 3.038) and had low self-esteem (UOR: 5.282; 95% CI 2.994 to 9.319) were at higher odds of being depressed. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of depression was observed among high school students. It was also observed that students’ level of perceived social support, self-esteem and help-seeking behaviour are somehow related to their mental well-being. Hence, improving social support and self-esteem may alleviate depression and mental distress among these adolescents.