@article{ref1,
title="Symptoms and predictors of depression among university students in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania: a cross-sectional study",
journal="Journal of mental health",
year="2020",
author="Lugata, Salome and Elinisa, Mercy and Doshi, Bhavya and Kashuta, Rebecca A. and Hango, Suleman and Mallosa, Winfrida J. and Kelly, Clive and Ngocho, James S.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Depression is the second leading cause of death among young people worldwide, and severity and suicidality are useful predictors of an adverse outcome.  AIM: This study aimed at examining factors associated with depression among university students in Tanzania.   METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2018 and July 2019 of undergraduate students across four universities. They completed a self-reported questionnaire collecting socio-demographic, together with a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictors of depression.   RESULTS: A total of 1047 students completed the study. Their mean (±SD) age was 24.2 (±7) years. 219 students (21.3%) screened positive for probable depression (survey-1 34% vs survey-2 13%). A total of 228 (21.9%) students reported having thoughts of serious self-harm. Factors independently influencing depression included year of study, substance abuse, unhappy interpersonal relationships and chronic mental or physical illness. The presence of an eating disorder was a predictor of depression and was recorded in 7.4% of all students.   CONCLUSION: Significant probable depression is present in one fifth of undergraduate students in this study. These results demonstrate a worrying degree of self- reported features of depression among North Tanzanian university students.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0963-8237",
doi="10.1080/09638237.2020.1793129",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1793129"
}