The Epidemiology and Phenomenology of Depression among College Students in the University of the Philippines Manila

Abstract

Depression is a medical condition that causes impairments or distress in important areas of human function. This may affect an individual’s ability to work, study, interact with peers and family, or take care of themselves. The purpose of this research is to create a baseline study and determine the prevalence of depression, its risks and protective factors, as well as describe the lived experiences of college students in the University of the Philippines Manila. A sequential explanatory method which includes an initial quantitative phase followed by a qualitative data collection was employed. Four hundred thirty respondents participated in the research study. Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was the inventory used to screen depression among college students. Ten respondents participated in the qualitative phase of the study. Qualitative data was analyzed through descriptive thematic analysis. In conclusion, the study realized the prevalence and severity of depression in the university. As for the prevalence, 58.60% of the survey respondents have depression while 41.40% have no depression. As for the severity, nearly 4 in 10 survey respondents have mild level of depression (38.1%), followed by moderate depression (34.1%) and severe depression (27.8%). The research study also found out that seven factors were significantly associated with depression. These factors include sex, college, academic performance, satisfaction in degree program, hours in social media, social support, and adverse childhood experiences (ACE).