Depression and anxiety in adolescents from public and private schools

Abstract

Objective: To identify depression and anxiety prevalences within adolescents registered and frequenting public and private schools in the city of Recife - Pernambuco. Methods: According to a population based, prevalence study, admitting a population of 10.414 pupils of public and private schools, depression and depressive upheavals prevalence of 20,3%, precision of 5% and significance level of 0,05, the random and stratified sampling included 243 pupils, of basic and mean levels of 11 schools, aging from 14 to 16 years old. The variables were: age, religion, school type, adscription and size, scholarship, study duration, scholar and labor condition, characteristic of familiar nucleus, sex, marriage status, skin type according to Fitzpatrick scale (investigated by a demographic questionnaire) and depression and anxiety degrees by Hamilton scales. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: The prevalences of expressive depressive symptoms and anxiety were equal to 59.9% and 19.9%, respectively. The associations of serious intensity depressive symptoms with female sex and religious belief different from Christianity chain were significant. The suicidal ideation/suicide attempt was related by 34.3% of students. There was significant association of suicidal ideation with light or moderate depressive symptoms and moderate degree of anxiety, as well as of suicide attempt with: serious depressive symptoms, study in private school and severe anxiety. Conclusions: The gravity of psychopathologic characteristics in a so young age is to deserve a psychosocial intervention to reduce its repercussions for the future.