Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depression among Medical Students at Makerere University, Uganda

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dc.contributor.authorOlum, Ronald
dc.contributor.authorNakwagala, Frederick Nelson
dc.contributor.authorOdokonyero, Raymond
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-13T07:16:44Z
dc.date.available2022-05-13T07:16:44Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractDepression affects about a third of medical students worldwide. There is paucity of data on depression among medical students in Uganda. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence and factors associated with depression among medical students at Makerere University College of Health Science (MakCHS), Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at MakCHS in May and July 2019. Students were enrolled by consecutive sampling, both online using Google Forms and in person for those unable to access internet. The self-reported Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) was administered to assess depression, defined as a PHQ9 score ≥10. Microsoft Excel 2016 and Stata 16 were used for data analysis. Results: Overall, 331 valid responses (mean age 23.1±3.3 years) were submitted (response rate 93.8%). In a majority of participants, the prevalence of depression was 21.5% (n=71) of which 64.1% had moderate depression (n=50). On bivariate analysis, year of study, worrying about academic performance, and lectures were significantly associated with depression. On multivariate analysis, worrying about academic performance (aOR 2.52, 95% CI 1.50–4.22; P<0.001) and lectures (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.11–3.22; P=0.018) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: Depression affects a significant number of medical students at MakCHS. About one in five medical students have depression. Year of study and academic performance were significantly associated with depression. Efforts aimed at identification and evaluation of students at risk, administering appropriate interventions, and follow-up of affected students are vital. Analytical studies aimed at establishing the causative factors and the effects of depression on medical students are recommended.en_US
dc.identifier.citationOlum, R., Nakwagala, F. N., & Odokonyero, R. (2020). Prevalence and factors associated with depression among medical students at Makerere University, Uganda. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 11, 853. http://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S278841en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S278841
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/3229
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherAdvances in Medical Education and Practiceen_US
dc.subjectDepressionen_US
dc.subjectMedical studentsen_US
dc.subjectRisk factorsen_US
dc.subjectPHQ9en_US
dc.subjectUgandaen_US
dc.titlePrevalence and Factors Associated with Depression among Medical Students at Makerere University, Ugandaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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