Prevalence and associated factors of depression among Bangladeshi university students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective:  The study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among university students in Bangladesh. Participants: A total of 403 undergraduate students from Patuakhali Science and Technology University, and Barisal University participated in the study. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). Result: The prevalence of depression (BDI ≥ 14) was 47.14%. Depression was 3.4 times (95% CI: 1.6–7.1), 3.8 times (95% CI: 1.7–8.6), and 3.9 times (95% CI: 1.5–8.9) higher among 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-year students, respectively than 1st-year students. Students with a history of stressful life events (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.7–4.4), suicidal attempts (aOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2–7.9), and who received inadequate monthly allowance from their family (aOR = 0.53 95% CI: 0.3–0.9) were more likely to develop depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study reports a high level of depression among university students which needs further discussion, exploration, and calls for designing appropriate interventions.

Keywords:

• Bangladesh
• Beck Depression Inventory
• Depression
• University students

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Bangladesh and received approval from the Patuakhali Science and Technology University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.