Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools
There has been limited research on depressive symptoms among high school students in St. Kitts and Nevis. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among fourth form (grade 10) students attending all high schools in St. Kitts and Nevis. Students enrolled in the fourth form during the 2006/...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2009-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.16 |
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| author | Gillian A. Lowe Garth Lipps Sharon Halliday Amrie Morris Nelson Clarke Rosemarie N. Wilson |
| author_facet | Gillian A. Lowe Garth Lipps Sharon Halliday Amrie Morris Nelson Clarke Rosemarie N. Wilson |
| author_sort | Gillian A. Lowe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There has been limited research on depressive symptoms among high school students in St. Kitts and Nevis. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among fourth form (grade 10) students attending all high schools in St. Kitts and Nevis. Students enrolled in the fourth form during the 2006/2007 academic year in all high schools were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). A near census of the students was conducted (n = 744 students; 50.4% females, 47.6% males, and 2% no gender reported; age 13–19 years, mean = 15.5 ± 0.8 years). Six in every ten students (62.1%) reported some symptoms of depression, with 14.8% reporting moderate to severe and 9.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Females reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (t(727) = 7.11, p < 0.01) with 70% of females reporting some level of depressive symptoms compared with 52% of their male counterparts (X2(1) = 24.6, p < 0.05). Additionally, 34% of females were in the moderate to severe or severe range of depressive symptoms, while 15% of males were in the same range. Students who were older than expected for their grade (i.e., 17 years or older) reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (F(2,740) = 2.88, p < 0.05) than students who were younger or at the expected age (i.e., 14–16 years). Students whose mothers had a high school or postsecondary education reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than students whose mothers had less than a high school education (F(3, 637), = 4.23, p < 0.05). Symptoms of depression among fourth form students in St. Kitts and Nevis are a prevalent problem that is influenced by students’ age, gender, and social class as indicated by maternal education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-086a948838dc457a827f6df43b0218f9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2009-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-086a948838dc457a827f6df43b0218f92025-02-03T01:12:23ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2009-01-01914915710.1100/tsw.2009.16Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High SchoolsGillian A. Lowe0Garth Lipps1Sharon Halliday2Amrie Morris3Nelson Clarke4Rosemarie N. Wilson5Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, Mona, JamaicaDepartment of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, University of the West Indies, Mona, JamaicaMinistry of Health and the Environment, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, Nassau, BahamasMinistry of Health, Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Nassau, BahamasSchool of Clinical Medicine and Research, University of the West Indies, Nassau, BahamasDepartment of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, University of the West Indies, Mona, JamaicaThere has been limited research on depressive symptoms among high school students in St. Kitts and Nevis. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among fourth form (grade 10) students attending all high schools in St. Kitts and Nevis. Students enrolled in the fourth form during the 2006/2007 academic year in all high schools were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). A near census of the students was conducted (n = 744 students; 50.4% females, 47.6% males, and 2% no gender reported; age 13–19 years, mean = 15.5 ± 0.8 years). Six in every ten students (62.1%) reported some symptoms of depression, with 14.8% reporting moderate to severe and 9.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Females reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (t(727) = 7.11, p < 0.01) with 70% of females reporting some level of depressive symptoms compared with 52% of their male counterparts (X2(1) = 24.6, p < 0.05). Additionally, 34% of females were in the moderate to severe or severe range of depressive symptoms, while 15% of males were in the same range. Students who were older than expected for their grade (i.e., 17 years or older) reported significantly higher BDI-II scores (F(2,740) = 2.88, p < 0.05) than students who were younger or at the expected age (i.e., 14–16 years). Students whose mothers had a high school or postsecondary education reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than students whose mothers had less than a high school education (F(3, 637), = 4.23, p < 0.05). Symptoms of depression among fourth form students in St. Kitts and Nevis are a prevalent problem that is influenced by students’ age, gender, and social class as indicated by maternal education.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.16 |
| spellingShingle | Gillian A. Lowe Garth Lipps Sharon Halliday Amrie Morris Nelson Clarke Rosemarie N. Wilson Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools |
| title_full | Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools |
| title_fullStr | Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools |
| title_short | Depressive Symptoms among Fourth Form Students in St. Kitts and Nevis High Schools |
| title_sort | depressive symptoms among fourth form students in st kitts and nevis high schools |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2009.16 |
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