Prevalence of depression and its associated factors among adolescents in China during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak
Han Qi,
Rui Liu,
Yuan Feng,
Jia Luo,
Si Man Lei,
Teris Cheung,
Gabor S. Ungvari,
Xu Chen,
Yu-Tao Xiang
Affiliations
Han Qi
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Rui Liu
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Yuan Feng
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Jia Luo
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Si Man Lei
Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
Teris Cheung
School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Gabor S. Ungvari
Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Xu Chen
The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Yu-Tao Xiang
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, & Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China
Background The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19) had a detrimental impact on adolescents’ daily life and studying, which could increase the risk of depression. This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms (depression hereafter) among Chinese adolescents and its associated factors. Methods An online survey was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Adolescents aged 11–20 years who currently lived in China were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected with the “SurveyStar” platform using the Snowball Sampling method. Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results A total of 9,554 adolescents participated in the study. The prevalence of depression was 36.6% (95% CI [35.6%–37.6%]); the prevalence of mild and moderate-severe depression was 9.2% (95% CI [8.9%–9.5%]) and 27.4% (95% CI [26.9%–27.9%]), respectively. Female gender (OR = 1.235, P 10,000) (OR = 1.245, P = 0.038) were significantly associated with higher risk of depression. Concern about COVID-19 (OR = 0.632, P 8 h/day (OR = 0.726, P 30 min/day, and study duration of ≥4 h/day (OR = 0.835, P < 0.001) were associated with lower risk of depression. Conclusion Depression was common among adolescents in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Considering the negative impact of depression on daily life and health outcomes, timely screening and appropriate interventions are urgently needed for depressed adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak.
