PREVALENCE & FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY ONSET DEPRESSION AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN JIMMA TOWN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, JIMMA, SOUTH WEST ETHIOPIA: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY DESIGN

Background: Depression among adolescents is a rising problem globally. There is a need to understand the factors associated with depression among adolescents. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of depressive disorders and associated factors among school-going adolescents in government and private schools in Jimma town, Ethiopia. Method: a cross-sectional school-based study was employed. Five hundred sixty-one secondary school students were selected using a multistage sampling technique from 5 selected secondary schools. Data on depression was collected using the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 modified for adolescents; multiple linear regressions were used to determine the factor associated with depression. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 546 adolescents participated in the study with a response rate of 97%. The mean (±SD) age of participants was 16.83 ± 1.26 years. The majority (442 (81%)) were studying in public schools and 104 (19%) in private schools. The results show that based on PHQ-9A with cut-off point >10, the overall prevalence of depression was 28.0% and based on severity scale 28.75 % mild, 18.5 % moderate, 8.24 % moderately to severe, and 1.28 % had severe depression. The prevalence of suicidal thought was 6.4% and history of suicidal attempt was 7%. Conclusion: Results of the study show that there was a high prevalence depression and gender, rural residence, social support, grade level, life events (adverse childhood experience score) and body mass index were significant Predictors of depression in this study. We recommend active steps to increase awareness about depression among teachers and parents, with the help of school counselors, to identify and help depressed adolescents in the school. Active, early intervention can help prevent the worsening of depression and its impact on life. Keywords: depression, childhood maltreatment, adolescents