Prevalence of depression and anxiety among school going adolescents of Delhi: A cross-sectional study

Introduction:According to UNICEF, among adolescents' mental disorders, depression and anxiety account for 42.9% of cases. As per the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) (2015-2016) of India; the Prevalence of Depressive Episodes and Recurrent Depressive Disorder and Phobic anxiety disorder among adolescents is 2.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The well-being and development of adolescents are directly related to the quality of their environment and early experiences of life. To understand the current mental health of adolescents the present study was initiated.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 679 students aged 10-19 years at selected schools in South Delhi, India. Initially after the written informed consent procedure, a self-reported questionnaire was administered to collect data on socio-demographic variables and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine associations between variables under examination with anxiety and depression.Results:In the present survey, the mean age of study participants was 13.43 years, 386 (56.85%) participants were male. The overall prevalence of depression and anxiety among adolescents was found to be 25.92% and 13.70% respectively. The prevalence of depression was significantly higher among students who do not have sleep satisfaction (35.9% vs. 23.0%, P = 0.001) and among those who experience anxiety (58.1% vs. 20.8%, P = 0.000) than others. Similarly, the prevalence of anxiety was found significantly higher with increasing age (chi 2, P = 0.001), increasing education levels (chi 2, P = 0.001), sleep quality (chi 2, P = 0.009), sleep satisfaction (chi 2, P = 0.000), relationship status (chi 2, P = 0.032) and depression status (30.7% vs. 7.8%, P = 0.000). Based on Multivariate analyses, higher education level (AOR: 1.53, 95%CI: 1.06-2.20) and anxiety (AOR: 4.88, 95%CI: 3.07-7.76) were associated with depression. Anxiety was associated with increasing age (16-19 years) (AOR: 3.35, 95%CI: 1.59-7.06) and depression (AOR: 5.18, 95%CI: 3.26-8.25).Conclusion:The present study suggests that the prevalence of depression and anxiety among school-going adolescents is 25.92% and 13.70%, respectively. The most common associated risk factors are increasing education level, sleep satisfaction, and anxiety and depression. The information may contribute to the development of preventive and control strategies for mental health conditions among adolescents for their welfare and well-being.