Depression And Anxiety Among Underaduate Students In China: Prevalence And Related Factors

Objectives1. To assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among Chinese undergraduates;2. To examine the characteristics of depression and anxiety in different gender;3. To investigate the influence factors of depression and anxiety such as family background, life behavior, college life and social relationship;4. To provide evidence for early intervention of mental health.MethodsA survey was conducted among2067undergraduate students from a college in China in November,2012. Students independently completed structured questionnaires that covered general information, social relationship scale, depression and anxiety status. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to determine depression and anxiety status respectively.We set up the database using EpiData3.0after checking and coding questionnaires, and analyzed data using SAS9.2. Chi-squared test and student-t test were used to describe the prevalence of depression and anxiety, additionally, rank correlation was used to estimate the correlation between depression, anxiety and social relationship, moreover, multivariable logistic regression and multivariable linear regression models were constructed to analyze associations of influence factors with depression and anxiety. In all tests, the level of significance was set up at P<0.05.Results1. Out of2067students,912(44.1%) suffered from depression (704females and208males);90(4.4%) experienced anxiety (63females and27males), and male students were more likely to have depression and anxiety.2. For male students, poor parental relationship, late bedtime, low sleep quality, less friend support and low stress coping ability were the significant predictors of depression and anxiety. Skipping breakfast enhanced the association of depression while perceived unreasonable course arrangement increased the correlation of anxiety.3. For female students who had rural residence, poor parental relationship, low sleep quality, heavy academic workload, less family and classmate support and more social stress were more vulnerable to depression and anxiety symptoms. Skipping breakfast, vegetarian diet, late bedtime, low club activity and low stress coping ability were positively associated with depression. Meanwhile, alcohol drinking, salty appetite and rare social activities were significantly related to anxiety.ConclusionsThe prevalence of depression was common among undergraduate students. Depression and anxiety were significant associated with family background, life behavior, college life and social relationship. Furthermore, it is necessary to pay more attention to students from rural area and those with poor parental relationship. Moreover, it may be effective to improve mental health of undergraduate students by adjusting life behavior, improving course arrangement and enhancing social communication.