Prevalence of depression symptoms among female adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Binsaif, S., Reynolds, S. and Jenkins, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1673-2903 (2023) Prevalence of depression symptoms among female adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 36 (4). pp. 286-292. ISSN 1744-6171 doi: 10.1111/jcap.12429

Abstract/Summary

Objective Epidemiological studies on the prevalence of elevated depression symptoms among female adolescents in Saudi Arabia report a wide variation, ranging from 13.9% to 80.2%. However, different methods of assessment and sampling have been used. The aim of the current study is to estimate the prevalence of elevated depression symptoms amongst female adolescents in Saudi Arabia using a gold-standard self-report measure, the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Design and Measures A cross-sectional study was conducted with 515 female students aged 13−18 years, recruited from public schools. Participants completed the Arabic versions of the MFQ, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results Mean MFQ score for this sample was 26.35 and almost half of participants (48.2%) had scores above the cut-off. Severity of depression varied with age, with those aged 13 showing reduced symptoms, and was negatively correlated with self-esteem and perceived social support. There were no associations with other demographic factors. Conclusion Elevated levels of depression symptoms were common in this sample. This highlights the need to improve public mental health in this community and to improve methods of identifying and treating depression in female adolescents.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/112130
Identification Number/DOI	10.1111/jcap.12429
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords	Psychiatry and Mental health, Pediatrics, General Medicine, Pshychiatric Mental Health
Publisher	Wiley
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item