Prevalence of Depression among University Students in Nairobi County, Kenya: A Comparison of Two Public Universities

Depression is a serious mental disease that affects both young and old people in the society. Depressed people harbor negative thoughts, and this makes them perceive life issues negatively. Depression is common among university students and despite the methods provided for its intervention, the prevalence of depression among university students remain higher than in the general population. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the current prevalence of depression among engineering students at the University of Nairobi and at the Technical University of Kenya. A quasiexperimental research design was adopted, where two Kenyan public universities were conveniently sampled. Engineering students from the University of Nairobi and those from The Technical University of Kenya who were studying undergraduate degree in any engineering courses were sampled for the study. The study data was collected using questionnaires and the Beck‟s Depression Inventory (BDI). The prevalence of depression was determined through proportions obtained from the data from the BDI in the two different universities. The findings indicated that 66.4% of the respondents from University of Nairobi had no depression, 16.9% registered moderate depression levels, 15.5% had mild depression, while 1.2% of the respondents exhibited severe depression. Further, results revealed that 67.1% of the respondents from Technical University of Kenya exhibited had no depression, 16.9% registered mild depression levels, 14.8% had moderate depression, while 1.2% of the respondents exhibited severe depression. The study concluded that about a third of the students studying engineering degree courses at the University of Nairobi and at the Technical University of Kenya are currently going through different levels of depression ranging from mild, moderate and severe depression. The implication of the findings is that depression is a serious concern among university students and therefore should not be ignored. © 2020 Elixir All rights reserved. Elixir Psychology 143 (2020) 54471-54476 Psychology Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal) Jacinta Ndegwa et al./ Elixir Psychology 143 (2020) 54471-54476 54472 However, higher rates of depression among university students have been reported in many parts of the world. A survey of Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) revealed that depression ranked second from anxiety as the top presenting psychological concern among college students (36.4%), followed by relationship problems (35.8%). The survey which was done in United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, also reported that the average age of onset for many mental health conditions is the typical college age range of 18 to 24 years old [13]. This is not surprising because adolescence being a transitional period from childhood to adulthood is a stage of emotional instability resulting from demand for separation and independence, and this may be stressful and result in depression. Evidence suggests that early intervention for depression can improve long-term outcomes [13]. Other studies confirm high rates of depression among university students. In one study done in Canada, university students were sampled from four university clinics and tested for depression using a selfreported Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). The study revealed that the prevalence of depression in this population was 25% for males and 26% for females [12]. Another metaanalysis study done among Iranian university students revealed that the prevalence of depression was 33% [19]. In another study, it was observed that depression was a leading psychological problem among university students, and it is a common cause of morbidity [20]. Depressed students cannot attain their life goals since depression affects many areas of their functionality. When students get depressed, they are not able to identify the symptoms of depression and in the confusion they engage in unacceptable behaviors. As noted in another study [17], depressed students of the University of Nairobi manifested risky sexual behaviors such as engaging in many sexual partners and having sex while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Both of these are risk factors to HIV infections. As depression progresses without effective interventions, it may lead to loss of lives through suicide. In another study among university students in Kenya, it was revealed that depression takes the highest percentage of all the causes of suicide [23]. Depression is highly prevalent among university students, and despite current intervention measures, depression continues to persist at substantially high levels in this population. Several studies have shown that incidences of depressive symptoms have been increasing among college and university students. A study of college students receiving counseling services between the years 1988 and 2001 found out that a 20% increase occurred in the number of students seeking help for depressive symptoms during that period [3]. In a survey of university counseling center directors completed in 2006, it was noted that 91.6% of the respondents reported that they had observed an increase in the number of students experiencing psychological problems in the recent years [4]. In another study done in America, 43% of college students reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult for them to study [2]. The development of depressive symptoms may have a significant impact on the ability of college students to successfully complete academic requirements. Students experiencing depressive symptoms report greater amounts of emotional suffering. This suffering may impact their life satisfaction and academic performance [5]. Several important issues are relevant to depression prevalence rates among university students. Students‟ transition from high school to college is associated with many challenges which the student has to overcome. Geographic changes, academic pressure, and an entirely new interpersonal environment are some of the changes that the college student must face [8]. From a developmental perspective, the age at which many students begin their university education is late teenage or early adulthood. This age has important implication for adjusting effectively to college life since it is the stage at which the process of identity development takes place. Navigating the process of identity development can lead to self-doubt, social withdrawal, loneliness, lowered self-esteem, and even depression [9]. Further, the four commonly cited reasons for depression among university students are academic problems, loneliness, economic problems, and relationship difficulties [8]. In addition, depression during this period is correlated with impaired social functioning, substance abuse, and school difficulties [24]. Other adverse outcomes of depression among university students include increased use of alcohol and risky HIV sexual behavior [17]. There are a number of professionals in the university setting charged with the responsibility of responding to the challenges experienced by the students. Dean of students, counseling units, university chaplain, and peer counselors, all have important roles of assisting students in their daily challenges in the campus. Together with these, there are university clinics and psychiatric services offered at the universities. However, despite all these services, depression still persists at substantially high rates among university students. This persistence of depression suggests that the interventions used are not effective enough to lower depression levels and therefore the need for an alternative intervention. In order to effectively intervene for depression among university students, monitoring the rates of depression prevalence becomes necessary. Because of that, this study aimed to assess and compare depression prevalence in two Kenyan public universities, University of Nairobi and the Technical University of Kenya. The study targeted undergraduate students from the School of Engineering at the University of Nairobi and School of Engineering Science and Technology at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK). Such interventions should aim at imparting skills which would enable the students to deal with problems and symptoms associated with depression in their environment before they become pathological, thereby reducing the likelihood of future morbidity. Methodology The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design, where two Kenyan public universities were conveniently sampled. Students studying engineering courses at the University of Nairobi and at the Technical University of Kenya formed the study population. The sample size was determined depending on the prevalence of depression in this population, the significance level which was 0.05, and the confidence level which was 95%. The minimum required sample size for the study was 246 participants. A total of 852 Jacinta Ndegwa et al./ Elixir Psychology 143 (2020) 54471-54476 54473 participants were interviewed for this study, out of which a sample of 273 was obtained. Of these, 136 were from the School of Engineering of the University of Nairobi and the rest 137 were drawn from the School of Engineering Science and Technology of the Technical University of Kenya. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data of the participants while Beck‟s depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess levels of depression. The BDI used in the present study contained twenty-one questions, each being scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. Scoring was done by adding up the score for each of the 21 questions, by counting the number to the right of each question that had been marked. The highest possible total for the whole test was sixty-three and the lowest possible score for the test was zero. A total score of zero (0