Abstract
Objectives: To study the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with gender, academic year, and college among university students in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Omani students attending the students’ clinic of the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). A systematic sampling of students, males and females, from different colleges, who visited the clinic during the study period, was carried out. The self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to screen for propensity to depression. Results: A total of 481 students participated in the study (243 males and 238 females). Overall, 133 (27.7%) of the participants (66 males and 67 females) had depression of various grades based on the PHQ-9 diagnostic criteria using a cut point of more than 11. Depression score at the cut point of 11 was not statistically associated with gender, college and the academic year. Conclusion: Tendency for depression might be a common health problem among college students in Oman attending primary health care facilities. Further research on socio-demographic characteristics and the effect of depression on the academic performance is needed.
Keywords
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.5001/omj.2011.58
- Journal
- Oman Medical Journal
- Publisher
- Oman Medical Specialty Board
- Open access
- Gold open access
Cite this article
APA 7
Al-Busaidi, Z., Bhargava, K., Al-Ismaily, A., Al-Lawati, H., Al Kindi, R., Al-Shafaee, M., & Al-Maniri, A. (2011). Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman. Oman Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2011.58
MLA 9
Al-Busaidi, Zakiya, et al. "Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman." Oman Medical Journal, 2011. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2011.58.
Chicago (author–date)
Al-Busaidi, Zakiya, Kamlesh Bhargava, Aida Al-Ismaily, Hadia Al-Lawati, Rahma Al Kindi, Mohammad Al-Shafaee, and Abdullah Al-Maniri. 2011. "Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman." Oman Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2011.58.
Harvard
Al-Busaidi, Z., Bhargava, K., Al-Ismaily, A., Al-Lawati, H., Al Kindi, R., Al-Shafaee, M. and Al-Maniri, A. (2011) 'Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman', Oman Medical Journal. doi:10.5001/omj.2011.58.
Vancouver
Al-Busaidi Z, Bhargava K, Al-Ismaily A, Al-Lawati H, Al Kindi R, Al-Shafaee M, et al. Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman. Oman Medical Journal. 2011. doi:10.5001/omj.2011.58
IEEE
Z. Al-Busaidi, K. Bhargava, A. Al-Ismaily, H. Al-Lawati, R. Al Kindi, M. Al-Shafaee, and A. Al-Maniri, "Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among University Students in Oman," Oman Medical Journal, 2011, doi: 10.5001/omj.2011.58.