The prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among tertiary level students in Bangladesh: A survey in Rajshahi district

Background: Depression is a common problem around the world that increases the risk of unhealthy lifestyle behavior. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among tertiary level (college) students in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 400 college students in Rajshahi district. Samples were collected using two-stage random sampling. Nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms of tertiary level students. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its associated factors. A value of p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant in the analysis. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among tertiary level students was 30.7%, with a greater proportion in urban (40.70%) than rural (21.40%) areas of Rajshahi district. A binary logistic regression model established five main factors of depressive symptoms among tertiary level students in Bangladesh: (1) family members ≤4 (AOR= 2.27; CI: 1.21–4.26, p<0.05); (ii) BMI status [underweight (AOR= 1.70; CI: 1.05–2.74, p<0.05) and overweight (AOR= 5.91; CI: 2.42–14.43, p<0.10)]; (iii) migraine (AOR: 3.35; CI: 1.75–6.43, p<0.05); (iv) existence of chronic disease (AOR= 1.96; CI, 1.04–3.70, p<0.05); and (v) illiterate mothers (AOR= 2.38; CI, 1.16–4.86, p<0.05). Conclusions: About one-third of the tertiary level students were suffering from depressive symptoms in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Some prevention programs like school-based counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal approaches, and family-based prevention strategies should be taken for preventing depressive symptoms of adolescent students; our findings would help for this purpose.