Prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety among young school-going adolescents in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Compr Psychiatry
; 131: 152469, 2024 05.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38461564
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Between 10 and 20% of children and adolescents globally experience common mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. Given the dearth of mental health services in low- and middle-income countries, most mental health conditions among adolescents remain undiagnosed and untreated. In South Africa, few studies have explored the prevalence of depression and anxiety among young adolescents aged 10-14 years. This study examined the prevalence of, and factors associated with depression and anxiety among young school-going adolescents in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 schools in the Western Cape Province from February to July 2022. Data were collected using a tablet-based survey and included sociodemographic items, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) and other psychosocial measures. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was estimated based on cut-off scores for the GAD-7 and PHQ-A. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, and depression and anxiety.RESULTS:
Of the 621 adolescents, 33.5% (n = 208) reported experiencing symptoms of depression and 20.9% (n = 130) symptoms of anxiety potentially indicative of a diagnosis. The results of the multivariable logistic regression model indicate that being in a higher grade in school (AOR = 1.65, CI1.43-1.92), any lifetime alcohol use (AOR = 1.62, CI1.04-2.64), other drug use (AOR = 2.07, CI1.06-4.04), and witnessing violence among adults at home (AOR = 2.12, CI1.07-1.41) were significantly associated with experiencing depressive symptoms. Being in a higher grade in school (AOR = 1.69, CI 1.42-2.01), poor emotional regulation skills (AOR = 1.03, CI 1.00-1.07), and the use of cannabis (AOR = 1.03, CI 1.00-1.07) were significantly associated with experiencing anxiety symptoms.CONCLUSION:
These findings add to our understanding of school-going adolescents' pressing mental health needs and suggest that mental health adolescent and caregiver interventions may be required to address mental health symptoms and associated risk factors.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ansiedade
/
Depressão
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article