Prevalence of depression and its correlates among public university students in Bangladesh

This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression among public university students in Bangladesh, with a larger and more diverse sample than those included in previous studies. A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and September, 2018 at two public universities in Bangladesh. Data was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, history of depression, and symptoms of depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire). Multivariable logistic regression was applied to explore the independent relationships between depression and student characteristics. A total of 400 students participated in the survey. Mean age of the students was 22 (SD: 2.2) years. The prevalence of depression was 47.3% and higher in female than male students (50.7% vs. 43.6%). Results of the multivariate analysis showed that the odds were approximately 4.6 times higher for students who spent more than 6 hours per day on social media (OR:4.69, 95% CI: 1.94-11.30); more than 2 times higher among the students who had personal history of depression (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 2.221-5.59). Male gender and having a smoking habit were both correlated with depressive symptoms (OR: 1.90; 95% CI:1.05-3.41) compared to the female students (OR:1.5; 95% CI:0.51-4.3). Nearly half of the students met the criteria for moderate to severe depression. Poor academic performance, use of social media and history of depression were the main factors associated with depressive symptoms. Given the high prevalence of depression in this student population, it is imperative to develop psychosocial interventions to better support students during this critical phase of life .