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Bilesha Perera, MSc, Prevention Resource Center, Indiana University, Room 110, Creative Arts Building, 2735, East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408, 812 855 1237, pperera@indiana.edu, Michael Reece, PhD, MPH, Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, HPER Building 116, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7109, and Peter Finn, PhD, Department of Psychology, Indiana University, 1101, East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405.
Introduction: Mental health research among young adults in Sri Lanka is limited, however, there are some indications that young adults in this country may be facing significant mental health challenges. For example, it is known that the rates of suicide and attempted suicide among this population are higher than in many other countries. This study sought to better understand depressive symptoms among a sample of young adults in the country. Method: The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), a 20 item self-report symptom rating scale, was administered to a sample of 94 male (44%) and 119 female (66%) medical undergraduates in a southern university in Sri Lanka. Results: The mean age of the sample was 22.3 years (SD = 1.64). Seventy one percent of male and 82% female students reported elevated depressive symptoms, with average CES-D scores of 22.73 (SD= 9.96) and 29.15 (SD = 10.84) respectively. For male students, alcohol use (OR= 3.03, 95% CI: 1.15, 7.98) was positively related to elevated depressive symptoms. Socioeconomic status (SES) was not found to be associated with elevated depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Prevalence of depressive symptoms is much higher among medical undergraduates in Sri Lanka than previously reported findings targeted at similar populations in the world. Given that SES has no relationship with students’ elevated depressive symptoms, academic work related stress might play an important role in increasing students’ depressive symptoms. Further research, however, is urgently needed to identify possible causative factors of depressive symptoms in this population.
Learning Objectives: After participating in this session, participants will be able to
Keywords: Youth, Depression
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.