Prevalence of Depression among Adolescents in Selected Public Secondary Schools in Makueni County, Kenya.

Alice Nzangi, Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical Psychology; Alice Munene, Psy.D; Susan Chang’orok, Ph.D., Daystar University & Winnie Mucherah, Ph.D., Ball State University, USA.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish the prevalence of depression among 460 (14-21 years) drawn from selected co-ed day and boarding secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya.  Beck’s Depression Inventory 2^nd edition (BDI-II) was used to assess the prevalence of depression. Data analysis using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 revealed a depression prevalence of 58.9%. Participants aged 16-17 had higher prevalence at 32.2% compared to other age categories such as aged 18-19 at 18.3%, aged 14-15 at 4.4% and aged 20-21 at 3.9% respectively. Depression was significantly (p=.000) higher in females at (33.8%) compared to males at (25.1%). The proportion of depression was significantly high (p=.000) among the form three participants (23.3%) compared to those in form two (18.7%) and form one (16.8%). The frequency was more among day scholars (35.9%) compared to boarders (22.9%). Likewise, depression prevalence was higher in adolescents who lived with both parents (38.1%) compared to those who lived with single parents (13.3%), grandparents (5.2%) and others (siblings and neighbors) at (2.2%), however there was no significant difference (p = 0.645).  Overall, the study showed that depression is a common and serious mental health problem among high school adolescents in Kenya. This calls for more attention through diagnosis and treatment to improve adolescents’ well-being.

Key words: Depression, adolescence, Beck Depression Inventory edition II (BDI-II).