Depression among Secondary School Students: a Comparison between Urban and Rural Populations in a Malaysian Community

Objective: To study the prevalence of depression among secondary schoolchildren in Selangor, and compare the same in urban and rural schools; also to identify factors associated with depression in secondary schoolchildren. Participants and Methods: Two urban and 3 rural secondary schools were select...

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Published inEast Asian archives of psychiatry Vol. 18; no. 2; p. 55
Main Authors Ramli, M, Adlina, S, Suthahar, A, Edariah, AB, F Mohd Ariff, AHH Narimah, Nuraliza, A S, Fauzi, I, Karuthan, C
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Aberdeen Hong Kong Academy of Medicine 01.06.2008
Subjects
Adults
Alcohol
Alcohol abuse
Children & youth
Consciousness
Drug abuse
Education
Families & family life
Mental depression
Parents & parenting
Questionnaires
Rural areas
Schools
Self esteem
Siblings
Social support
Students
Teenagers
Selangor Malaysia
Malaysia
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Summary:Objective: To study the prevalence of depression among secondary schoolchildren in Selangor, and compare the same in urban and rural schools; also to identify factors associated with depression in secondary schoolchildren. Participants and Methods: Two urban and 3 rural secondary schools were selected by 2-staged stratified random sampling, so as to represent the population of secondary schoolchildren in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 2,048 schoolchildren were enrolled and the level of depression was measured by a self-rated scale — the Children's Depression Inventory. Results: The prevalence of possible depression in these students was 10.3%. There was no difference in the prevalence of significant depressive symptoms between rural and urban schoolchildren. Factors associated with depression were being female, Chinese, parents with low education level, stealing, and alcohol abuse (p < 0.001). Depression contributed significantly to suicidal tendencies (p < 0.001). Conclusion: A sizable proportion of children in this secondary school population potentially suffered from depression. Psychological interventions are needed to ease this burden and ensure their well-being.
ISSN:2078-9947
2224-7041