Prevalence and Determinants of Depression and Suicidality among Health Sciences and Engineering Students at Busitema University: a Snapshot After Covid-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Joseph Kirabira, Enid kawala kagoya, joseph mpagi, Christine etoko atala, Francis okello, Ambrose okibure, Alex ainembabazi and Paul waako

Background Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in Uganda and is strongly associated with suicide, an important cause of death among people aged 15-29 years. Among University students, depression affects social and academic performance, thus limiting the capabilities of this potentially productive population. Additionally, many students display suicidal behaviour which is commonly a manifestation of severe depression; hence, it is necessary to evaluate both depression and suicidality in a bid to address them. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of depression and suicidality among students of two campuses at Busitema University in rural eastern Uganda.

Methods A total of 658 were recruited with 360 from Busitema Campus (Faculty of Engineering) and 298 from Mbale Campus (Faculty of Health Sciences). Depression and suicidality were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and relevant sociodemographic and clinical factors were collected using an investigator-designed questionnaire. Data were analysed quantitatively using STATA version 16.

Results The prevalence of major depressive episodes and suicidality were 32.4% and 25.5%, respectively. The prevalence of both depression and suicidality was higher among health science students than engineering students. Risk factors for depression included studying the health sciences (adjusted odds ratio (AOR] =1.6, p-value (p) =0.005), having a chronic medical condition (AOR=2.9, p=0.001), being worried about academic activities (AOR=1.6, p=0.015), and being bullied by students familial history of mental illness (AOR=1.8, p=0.022), while being in the second and fourth years of study ((AOR=0.4, p=0.001 and AOR=0.2, p<0.001, respectively) were protective against suicidality.

Conclusion The findings indicated that depression and suicidality are highly prevalent public health challenges among university students and are influenced by factors, some of which are potentially modifiable. Hence, there is an urgent need for institutions of higher learning to implement interventions against these challenges involving staff, as well as students and their relatives, to ensure good mental health among students, which may improve their functioning and performance.

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