Depressive symptoms among  adolescent students in Greek  high schools

Abstract

Depressive symptoms in adolescence have been a subject of considerable controversy in terms of their nature, severity and identifica tion. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the presence of depressive symp toms in Greek adolescent high school students and to explore the relationship between depressive symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics. For that purpose, a cross-sec tional study design was conducted in two pub lic schools in Megalopolis, Greece, from April 2012 to July 2012, using a self-administered questionnaire based on DSM-IV. The target population involved 222 high school students and the response rate was 74.75%. Data was analyzed using trend c2 test, student’s t-test and bivariate analysis. The analysis of survey data was conducted using the SPSS (19.0). Main findings demonstrate that 3.6% had symptoms of major depressive episode. Furthermore, depressive symptoms were sig nificantly higher in girls, while statistically significant relationships were found between students’ physical (P<0.01) and mental health (P<0.008), students’ experiences in school (P<0.02), students’ experiences with friends (P<0.008) and the frequency of depressive symptoms. Overall, the study results reveal that depressive symptoms can occur in adoles cents. Early diagnosis, as well as the need for psychological care at adolescence is necessary for the prevention of major depressive disor ders.