Physio-psychosocial risk of depression among college-going adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background

Depression among adolescents is a growing concern worldwide, including in Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate depression and its associated factors among college-going adolescents in Bangladesh.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1919 college-going adolescents through a Google-based questionnaire covering all administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Respondents’ socio-demographic information was collected, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression. Different statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and multinomial logistic regression, were performed to analyze the data.

Results

The results showed that a majority of the adolescents (65.5 %) were female and identified as Muslim (92.0 %). The average age was 17.5 years, with 33.9 % reporting pre-marital relationships and 10.7 % engaging in daily exercise. Alarmingly, over 80 % of college-going adolescents experienced moderate to severe depression (24.3 % moderate; 29.1 % moderately severe, and 26.8 % severe). Factors including gender, social media use, physical exercise, pre-marital relationships, religious practices, experiences of blackmail, and major physical illnesses have significant association (p < 0.001) with the increased risk of depression among college-going adolescents in Bangladesh. The multinomial logistic regression analysis found female adolescents, social media users, those not engaged in regular exercise, individuals in pre-marital relationships, non-practitioners of religion, victims of blackmail, and those with major physical illnesses had the higher odds of experiencing moderate to severe depression.

Conclusion

The high depression level among Bangladeshi college-going adolescents underscores the urgent need for targeted mental health intervention to address associated risk factors and promote the well-being of college-going adolescents in Bangladesh.