Preliminary evaluation of depression symptoms in adult high school students and the associated socio-demographic and environmental factors

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is a common mental health disorder and an important risk factor for somatic diseases. It affects various age groups, and early adulthood is associated with becoming independent and is a particularly critical period for developing depression. Aim of the research: A screening evaluation of depression symptom incidence in young adults in the context of the sociodemographic and school-, home-, and peer-related student situation. Material and methods: In 2018 a cross-sectional study was conducted on 149 adult high school students aged 18-20. We applied our own questionnaire together with the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Depression symptoms were identified in 43.6% of participants, and severe symptoms were present in 15.4%. The differentiating factors included: gender (p < 0.05), financial situation (p < 0.001), self-reported health (p < 0.001), professional activity (p < 0.001), school acceptance (p < 0.01), school-related stress (p < 0.001), and home atmosphere (p < 0.05); but also with peer interactions: shyness (p < 0.05), peer acceptance (p < 0.01), and willingness to meet friends (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The common character of occurrence of depression symptoms among the analysed school youths is an alarming phenomenon that poses a threat to their health. There is a need to enforce activities in favour of mental health of students as part of the preventive care applied in schools. There is also a need to monitor mental health during school education by using simple screening tools. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]