Depressive symptoms, sexual activity, and substance use among adolescents in Kampala, Uganda

Henry, M.; Kitaka, Sabrina Bakeera; Lubega, Kizza; Snyder, Sara; LaRussa, Philip; Pfeffer, Betsy

doi:10.4314/ahs.v19i2.12

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The above studies have mainly been conducted in high income countries. Consistent with other countries in SSA, few studies in Uganda have documented the prevalence of depressive symptoms among young people [ 58 , 59 ], and among adolescent girls in particular. Available studies have mainly focused on highly vulnerable children and adolescents, such as those orphaned by HIV/ AIDS [ 60 – 65 ], those with chronic conditions [ 66 – 70 ], and traumatized adolescents in war torn and post-conflict settings [ 71 , 72 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda

et al. 2020

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Background In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), adolescent girls and young women are three times more likely than boys to have depressive disorders. Understanding adolescents’ unique and common vulnerabilities and protective factors is essential for the development of appropriate interventions and programming focused on child and adolescent mental health. This paper examines the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda. Methods Baseline data from a longitudinal cluster randomized study involving 1260 adolescent girls (14–17 years), recruited from 47 secondary schools were utilized. Depressive symptoms were estimated using the 21-item Beck’s Depression Inventory. Hierarchical linear regression modelling was utilized to estimate key predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Results Of the total sample, 16.35% (n = 206) reported severe depressive symptoms and almost one in every three adolescent girls interviewed (29.68%, n = 374) reported moderate symptoms. These symptoms were more prevalent among older adolescents (16 years and above). In addition, family relationships, social support, as well as measures of psychological wellbeing (self-concept and self-esteem) were all associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Hopelessness was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Conclusion Findings from this study indicate a high prevalence of depressive symptoms, especially among older adolescent girls. In addition, family support factors and adolescents’ psychological wellbeing were associated with low levels of depressive symptoms –pointing to the need to strengthen family functioning and adolescent’s psychological wellbeing to mitigate risks. Taken together, findings support increasing calls for early screening and detection of depressive symptoms to facilitate timely referral to care and treatment. Findings may also inform the development and incorporation of gender-specific mental health components in programming targeting adolescent girls, in low-resource communities in SSA. Trial registration This trial was prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT03307226) on 11 October 2017.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The above studies have mainly been conducted in high income countries. Consistent with other countries in SSA, few studies in Uganda have documented the prevalence of depressive symptoms among young people [58,59], and among adolescent girls in particular. Available studies have mainly focused on highly vulnerable children and adolescents, such as those orphaned by HIV/ AIDS [60][61][62][63][64][65], those with chronic conditions [66][67][68][69][70], and traumatized adolescents in war torn and post-conflict settings [71,72].…”

Section: Risk and Protective Factorsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms Among High School Adolescent Girls in Southern Uganda

Nabunya

Damulira

Byansi

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), adolescent girls and young women are three times more likely than boys to have depressive disorders. Understanding adolescents’ unique and common vulnerabilities and protective factors is essential for the development of appropriate interventions and programming focused on child and adolescent mental health. This paper examines the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda.MethodsBaseline data from 1260 adolescent girls (14–17 years), recruited from 47 secondary schools were utilized. Depressive symptoms were estimated using the 21-item Beck’s Depression Inventory. Hierarchical linear regression modelling was utilized to estimate key predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls.ResultsOf the total sample, 16.35% (n = 206) reported severe depressive symptoms and almost one in every three adolescent girls interviewed (29.68%, n = 374) reported moderate symptoms. These symptoms were more prevalent among older adolescents (16 years and above). In addition, family relationships, social support, as well as measures of psychological wellbeing (self-concept and self-esteem) were all associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Hopelessness was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls.ConclusionFindings from this study contribute to the limited literature on the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Given that depressive symptoms tend to increase during later adolescence, our findings support increasing calls for early screening and detection of poor mental health functioning to facilitate timely referral to care and treatment. Findings may also inform the development and incorporation of gender-specific mental health components in programming targeting adolescent girls, in low-resource communities in SSA.Trial Registration:This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number: NCT03307226) on 11 October 2017.

show abstract

“…The above studies have mainly been conducted in high income countries. Consistent with other countries in SSA, few studies in Uganda have documented the prevalence of depressive symptoms among young people [58,59], and among adolescent girls in particular. Available studies have mainly focused on highly vulnerable children and adolescents, such as those orphaned by HIV/ AIDS [60][61][62][63][64][65], those with chronic conditions [66][67][68][69][70], and traumatized adolescents in war torn and post-con ict settings [71,72].…”

Section: Risk and Protective Factorsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms Among High School Adolescent Girls in Southern Uganda

Nabunya

Damulira

Byansi

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), adolescent girls and young women are three times more likely than boys to have depressive disorders. Understanding adolescents’ unique and common vulnerabilities and protective factors is essential for the development of appropriate interventions and programming focused on child and adolescent mental health. This paper examines the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda. Methods: Baseline data from a longitudinal cluster randomized study involving 1260 adolescent girls (14–17 years), recruited from 47 secondary schools were utilized. Depressive symptoms were estimated using the 21-item Beck’s Depression Inventory. Hierarchical linear regression modelling was utilized to estimate key predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Results: Of the total sample, 16.35% (n=206) reported severe depressive symptoms and almost one in every three adolescent girls interviewed (29.68%, n=374) reported moderate symptoms. These symptoms were more prevalent among older adolescents (16 years and above). In addition, family relationships, social support, as well as measures of psychological wellbeing (self-concept and self-esteem) were all associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Hopelessness was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate a high prevalence of depressive symptoms, especially among older adolescent girls. In addition, family support factors and adolescents’ psychological wellbeing were associated with low levels of depressive symptoms –pointing to the need to strengthen family functioning and adolescent’s psychological wellbeing to mitigate risks. Taken together, findings support increasing calls for early screening and detection of depressive symptoms to facilitate timely referral to care and treatment. Findings may also inform the development and incorporation of gender-specific mental health components in programming targeting adolescent girls, in low-resource communities in SSA.Trial Registration: This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (registrationnumber: NCT03307226) on 11 October 2017.

show abstract

Depressive symptoms, sexual activity, and substance use among adolescents in Kampala, Uganda

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among high school adolescent girls in southern Uganda

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms Among High School Adolescent Girls in Southern Uganda

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms Among High School Adolescent Girls in Southern Uganda

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