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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Depression

among Medical Students at Makerere University,
Uganda
This article was published in the following Dove Press journal:
Advances in Medical Education and Practice

Ronald Olum 1 Background: Depression affects about a third of medical students worldwide. There is
Frederick Nelson Nakwagala2 paucity of data on depression among medical students in Uganda. The purpose of this study
Raymond Odokonyero 3 was to establish the prevalence and factors associated with depression among medical
1
students at Makerere University College of Health Science (MakCHS), Uganda.
School of Medicine, College of Health
Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students pursuing a Bachelor of
Uganda; 2Mulago National Referral Medicine and Surgery at MakCHS in May and July 2019. Students were enrolled by
Hospital, Kampala, Uganda; 3Department consecutive sampling, both online using Google Forms and in person for those unable to
of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College
of Health Sciences, Makerere University, access internet. The self-reported Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) was administered
Kampala, Uganda to assess depression, defined as a PHQ9 score ≥10. Microsoft Excel 2016 and Stata 16 were
used for data analysis.
Results: Overall, 331 valid responses (mean age 23.1±3.3 years) were submitted (response
rate 93.8%). In a majority of participants, the prevalence of depression was 21.5% (n=71) of
which 64.1% had moderate depression (n=50). On bivariate analysis, year of study, worrying
about academic performance, and lectures were significantly associated with depression. On
multivariate analysis, worrying about academic performance (aOR 2.52, 95% CI 1.50–4.22;
P<0.001) and lectures (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.11–3.22; P=0.018) were significantly associated
with depression.
Conclusion: Depression affects a significant number of medical students at MakCHS.
About one in five medical students have depression. Year of study and academic performance
were significantly associated with depression. Efforts aimed at identification and evaluation
of students at risk, administering appropriate interventions, and follow-up of affected stu­
dents are vital. Analytical studies aimed at establishing the causative factors and the effects
of depression on medical students are recommended.
Keywords: depression, medical students, risk factors, PHQ9, Uganda

Introduction
Globally, 4.4% of the population is living with depression.1 Depression is the
single largest contributor to global disability and among the leading causes of
years lived with disability.2 Depression, also known as major depressive dis­
order, is a mental disorder characterised by low mood for at least 2 weeks.3 It is
often accompanied by low self-esteem, loss of interest in normally enjoyable
Correspondence: Ronald Olum
School of Medicine, College of Health activities, low energy, decrease or increase in appetite, insomnia or hypersom­
Sciences, PO Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda nia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, and diminished concentration or
Tel +256-775-512-540
Email olum.ronald@gmail.com indecisiveness.4

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http://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S278841
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Depression among medical students has increasingly Study Setting

become a concern for medical educators globally.5 In The study was conducted at MakCHS. Makerere
a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, up to 27.2% University is the largest public institution of higher learn­
of medical students had depression globally.5 Puthran et al ing in Uganda. MakCHS is located on Mulago Hill with
also found out that depression affects about a third of med­ Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital, 5 km by
ical students worldwide.6 Studies have documented a higher road northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest
prevalence of depression among medical students than in the city. As of August 2018, the college has four schools:
general population and age-matched peers.7–9 Depression Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, and
has profound negative academic and professional impact, Public Health.
which includes poor academic performance, substance
abuse, and suicidal ideation.10
Studies from sub-Saharan Africa have also documented
Study Population
Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Medicine
a high prevalence of depression among medical students.11–14
and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) at the School of
Aniebue et al reported a prevalence of 23.3% among Nigerian
Medicine constituted the study population. The 5-year
undergraduate medical students.15 Depression among medical
MBChB curriculum consists of 2 years of preclinical train­
students has been associated with female sex.11,16 In East
ing in basic biomedical sciences and 3 years of clinical
Africa, a high prevalence of depression among university
rotations. In the academic year 2018–2019, there were
students has been reported.17,18 Othieno et al found that
about 2,000 students at MakCHS, with approximately
41.3% of general undergraduate students at the University of
900 pursuing and MBChB. The study was conducted dur­
Nairobi, Kenya were depressed.17 Medical students, however,
ing the recess term.
did not have a high prevalence of depression in this study
(13.3%).17
There are limited data on depression among medical Selection Criteria
students in Uganda. An earlier study investigating depres­ All undergraduate students aged 18 years or older pursuing
sion among fresh undergraduate students joining Makerere MBChB at MakCHS were included in the study after
University between 2001 and 2002 found a higher preva­ informed consent. Students who were absent during data
lence of depressed mood among the general population of collection were excluded.
new students than those in the Faculty of Medicine.19 To our
knowledge, there are no current data specifically describing
Sample-Size Estimation
depression among medical students in Uganda. A recent
Sample size was calculated using a modified Kish–Leslie
study at Makerere University highlighted high levels of
formula with a 95% CI (1.960) and 5% precision:22
stress among medical students.20 Stress prevalence was
found to be as high as 57.4%, and stressors included aca­ Z 2 pð1 pÞ
N¼
demic curriculum, frustration with lectures, long walk to d2
school, lack of free time for leisure activities, academic where N is sample size, Z SD at 95% CI (1.960),
performance, parental expectations, and lack of p expected prevalence of depression among medical
mentorship.20 High stress levels can result in deteriorating students, and d precision of the estimate (5%). The
performance, depression, and other stress-induced disorders prevalence of depression was taken as 53.4% from
like suicidal ideation.21 In this study, we aimed to the a study in a similar setting among medical students in
establish the prevalence and factors associated with depres­ Sudan.23
sion among medical students at Makerere University
1:9602 � 0:534ð1 0:534Þ
College of Health Sciences (MakCHS). N¼
0:052
We used the modified Kish and Leslie equation to calcu­
Methods late available sample size:
Study Design N
A descriptive cross-sectional study using quantitative tech­ n¼
1 þ ðNK 1Þ
niques was conducted between May and July, 2019.

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Dovepress Olum et al

where K is the estimated overall population of the study performance, chronic illness, major life event).
population (approximately 2,000 students). Participants responded by ticking either yes or no.
382:38
n¼
1 þ ð382:38
2000
1Þ
Measurements
A diagnosis of depressive symptomatology was made after
n ¼ 321:14 a participant fulfilled the following conditions.

n ¼ 321 1. Item 1 and item 2 of the PHQ9 scoring a sum of ≥3.

To cater for noncorrespondents, 10% of the sample size 2. A total score of ≥10 was used as the cutoff for
was added to the calculated sample size. Therefore, the a diagnosis of depression.
actual total sample size was 353 medical students.
A PHQ9 score ≥10 has a specificity and sensitivity of 88% for
major depressive disorder.25 Total PHQ9 scores determined
Data-Collection Tools and Procedure severity: 5–9 mild, 10–19 moderate, and 20–27 severe.
A self-administered tool was used to enrol participants
in the study. Both hard-copy and web-based
questionnaires designed using Google Forms were used Data Management and Analysis
to collect data. Study representatives in each class conse­ Hard-copy data were entered into Epi Info 7.2.2.6 statistical
cutively distributed paper-based questionnaires to prospec­ software (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
tive participants. The Google Form link to the GA, USA) and exported to Microsoft Excel 2016 for cleaning
and coding. Online data submissions from Google Forms were
questionnaire was also shared via the MakCHS mailing
also exported to Microsoft Excel 2016 for cleaning and cod­
list and WhatsApp groups to reduce nonresponse as
ing. Formal analysis was performed using Stata 16 (StataCorp,
a result of stigma associated with some of the contents
College Station, TX, USA). Descriptive analyses were derived
of the questionnaire, eg, suicidal ideation. The question­
by exploring the frequencies and percentages for each of the
naire consisted of three parts: sociodemographics, the
categorical variables. Results for the continuous variable (age)
Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) and factors asso­
are presented as median and ranges. To assess associations
ciated with depression were used. The PHQ9 is a validated
between the depression and predictor variables, χ2 tests and
tool used for screening, diagnosing, and measuring the
logistic regressions were performed. P-values <0.05 were
severity of depression among university students.24 It con­
considered statistically significant.
sists of nine questions based on the DSM-V arranged as
Likert items graded from 0 to 3 (not at all, several days,
more than half the days, and nearly every day, respec­ Ethical and Regulatory Approval
tively), with a total possible score of 27. Ethical approval from Mulago Hospital Research Ethics
Committee (protocol MHREC 1634) and administrative
approval from the the principal of MakCHS were obtained
Study Variables prior to the study. The study was conducted in accordance
The dependent variable was depressive symptomatology.
with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Independent variables were:

(i) sociodemographic factors (age, sex, religion, mar­ Results

ital status), students’ academic details (year of Demographics
study and type of tuition funding), and A total of 331 participants with a median age of 22 (18–
(ii) factors associated with depression. A closed-ended 40) years responded to the study (response rate 36.7%).
question was used to ask participants what they were Students from all the classes (years 1–5) participated in the
worried about in the 2 weeks prior to the study (tuition, study. The majority of the participants were male (59%),
personal financial problems, relationships, lectures, aged 18–25 years (86%), single (78%), and on government
ward rounds, lack of free time, walking long distances, sponsorship (57%). Table 1 summarizes the demographic
traumatic patient events at the hospital, academic characteristics of the participants.

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Table 1 Sociodemographic Characteristics of the Participants were worried about lack of free time. A majority of those
(n=331) with depression had moderate form (41%, n=29; Figure 1).
n %

Age (median, range) 22 18–40

Factors Associated with Depression
18–25 years 285 86 On bivariate analysis, year of study, academic perfor­
26–35 years 43 13 mance, and worrying about lectures were significantly
>36 years 3 1 associated with depression (Table 2). We performed multi­
Sex variate analysis with aORs to reduce the effect of con­
Female 133 40 founders (Table 3). Students aged 26–35 years and those in
Male 196 59 their second year were 1.7 and 1.6 times more likely to
Prefer not to say 2 1 have depression, respectively. However, this relationship
Year of study was not statistically significant. Students worried about
First 82 25 lectures (aOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1–4.4; P=0.028) and aca­
Second 68 21 demic performance (aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3–5.0; P<0.001)
Third 73 22 were significantly more likely to have depression. There
Fourth 55 17
was no significant association of depression in medical
Fifth 53 16
students with sex, age, religion, or marital status.
Religion
Anglican 90 27
Atheist/none 11 3
Discussion
Buddhist 1 0
Depression among medical students has far-reaching
Christian 3 1 effects on the students and society at large. In this study,
Muslim 32 10 we sought to determine prevalence and factors associated
Pentecostal 59 18 with depression and suicidal ideation among medical stu­
Presbyterian 1 0 dents at Makerere University, and found prevalence of
Roman Catholic 116 35
21.5%, in line with previous studies on medical students
Seventh Day Adventist 16 5
Traditional 2 1
in Nigeria (23.3%) and Peru (23.3%),15,26,27 but higher
than among medical students in developed countries with
Tuition funding
student-wellness programs, ie, 3.8% and 2.6% among US
Government 189 57
Nongovernmental organisation 2 1
and German medical students, respectively.28,29 Our find­
Private 116 35 ing is lower that global estimates reported by a recent
Self 24 7 systematic review and meta-analysis, which revealed pre­
valence of 27.2%.5 In the developing countries of
Marital status
Divorced 4 1 Cameroon and Sudan, more than half the medical students
Married 16 5 (50% vs 65.2%, respectively) had depression.11,23 These
Relationship 54 16 differences may be attributed to the different curricula
Single 257 78 used in different countries, teaching methods, mental-
wellness programs, and diagnostic tools used to diagnose
depression.5
Our study also found that the majority of medical
Prevalence of Depression students with depression were in their second and
Table 2 summarizes the prevalence of depression among third years of study. Other papers have shown higher
medical students at Makerere University. Overall, 21.5% of prevalence in first-year,30,31 third-year,32–34 and final-year
medical students had depression. Of those with depression, students.35 The high prevalence in the second year of
a majority were males, aged 18–25 years, government- study can be attributed to the bulk of work required,
funded, and not in any intimate relationship. Up to 62%, since the greatest part of the biomedical syllabus, ie,
57.7%, and 52.1% were worried about examinations, aca­ microbiology, pharmacology, pathology, immunology,
demic performance, and personal financial problems, and some aspects of anatomy and physiology, are covered
respectively. Some 49.3% of the students with depression in this academic year. In the third year, medical students

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Table 2 Prevalence of Depression Among Medical Students at Table 2 (Continued).

Makerere University (n=331)
Depression P-value
Depression P-value
Yes (%) No (%)
Yes (%) No (%)
Long distance to school 19 (26.8) 64 (24.6) 0.712
All participants 71 (21.5) 260 (78.5)
Traumatic patient events at 13 (18.3) 31 (11.9) 0.160
Age, years hospital
18–25 60 (84.5) 225 (86.5) 0.527 Academic performance 41 (57.7) 85 (32.7) <0.001
26– 35 11 (15.5) 32 (12.3) Chronic illness 5 (7) 8 (3.1) 0.127
>36 0 3 (1.2) Major life event 7 (9.9) 21 (8.1) 0.632

Sex
Female 30 (42.3) 103 (39.6) 0.713
Male 41 (57.7) 155 (59.6) begin clinical rotations, which is usually a new environ­
Prefer not to say 0 2 (0.8) ment accompanied by increased academic demands,
Year of study including night calls. Other traumatic incidents like losing
First 15 (21.1) 67 (25.8) 0.043 a patient may also contribute to depression in third-year
Second 21 (29.6) 47 (18.1) students at MakCHS.
Third 20 (28.2) 53 (20.4) Our results showed that worrying about lectures and
Fourth 6 (8.5) 49 (18.8)
academic performance was significantly associated with
Fifth 9 (12.7) 44 (16.9)
depression. This is in line with Waqas et al and Sousa
Religion et al, who established that increased academic expectations
Anglican 16 (22.5) 74 (28.5) 0.886
were associated with depression among medical
Atheist/none 2 (2.8) 9 (3.5)
Buddhist 0 1 (0.4) students.36,37 Medical students with depression also have
Christian 0 3 (1.2) poorer academic performance than their peers.36 These
Muslim 9 (12.7) 23 (8.8) studies continue to reaffirm the impact of increased aca­
Pentecostal 12 (16.9) 47 (18.1)
demic expectations on the mental health of medical stu­
Presbyterian 0 1 (0.4)
dents, highlighted by a recent study at Makerere
Roman Catholic 27 (38) 89 (34.2)
Seventh Day Adventist 4 (5.6) 12 (4.6) University, where 38% of students admitted that the aca­
Traditional 1 (1.4) 1 (0.4) demic curriculum was a top stressor.20 Clearly, academic
Tuition funding
demands on medical students seem to be a major source of
Government 37 (52.1) 152 (58.5) 0.456 stress. Some of the reasons for this may include the high
NGO 0 2 (0.8) expectations placed on the student by their family, who see
Private 30 (42.3) 86 (33.1) the student as the solution to the family’s socioeconomic
Self 4 (5.6) 20 (7.7)
problems and prestige.38 Some personal factors, such as
Marital status
Divorced 2 (2.8) 2 (0.8) 0.384
Married 2 (2.8) 14 (5.4)
Relationship 10 (14.1) 44 (16.9)
Single 57 (80.3) 200 (76.9)

Students worried in the

past 2 weeks about
Tuition 13 (18.3) 31 (11.9) 0.160
Personal financial problems 37 (52.1) 130 (50) 0.752
Relationships 27 (38) 70 (26.9) 0.068
Lectures 32 (45.1) 68 (26.2) 0.002
Ward rounds 19 (26.8) 48 (18.5) 0.123
Examinations 44 (62) 161 (61.9) 0.994
Lacking free time 35 (49.3) 112 (43.1) 0.350
Figure 1 Severity of depression among medical students with depressive sympto­
(Continued) matology at Makerere University.

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Table 3 Multivariate Regression Showing Factors Associated with Moreover, the academic environment itself can be
Depression Among Medical Students at Makerere University a source of stress, eg, through hectic academic schedules,
aOR (95% CI) P-value multiple concurrent tasks, and little supervision, support,
or mentorship.40
Age, years
18–25 1.0 We found no significant difference in depression pre­
26–35 1.7 (0.5–5.4) 0.701 valence between males and females, which correlates with
a global systematic review and meta-analysis5 and pre­
Sex
Female 1.0 vious studies on first-year students at Makerere
Male 0.9 (0.5–1.7) 0.358 University.19 A number of studies have demonstrated
a higher prevalence of depression in female medical stu­
Year of study
First 1.0
dents than their male counterparts.7,11,16,34,41,42 Male stu­
Second 1.6 (0.7–3.8) 0.297 dents, however, formed a greater percentage of depressed
Third 1.3 (0.5–3.6) 0.560 students in our study. This is problematic, since male sex
Fourth 0.4 (0.1–1.2) 0.096 has been associated with poor disclosure and health-
Fifth 0.7 (0.2–2.0) 0.455 seeking, which predisposes them to finding solace in
Religion drugs and substances of abuse like alcohol and
Roman Catholic 1.0 marijuana.43 Marital status was not a significant predictor
Anglican 0.6 (0.3–1.3) 0.216 of depression in this study, but single students had higher
Atheist/none 0.2 (0.0–3.1) 0.278
prevalence than their married and dating counterparts,
Muslim 1.0 (0.4–2.8) 0.953
Pentecostal 0.7 (0.3–1.6) 0.380
owing to the social support a partner offers.
Seventh Day Adventist 2.5 (0.6–10.1) 0.198 Our study fills a crucial gap in the literature on the
current status of mental health among medical students in
Tuition funding
Uganda. The large sample increases the generalizability
Government 1.0
Private 1.6 (0.8–3.1) 0.204 of the findings. However, there are some limitations.
Self 0.3 (0.1–1.8) 0.206 Firstly, the PHQ9 questionnaire that was used is
a screening questionnaire that picks out probable depres­
Marital status
Single 1.0 sion. Clinical diagnosis of major depressive disorder
Divorced 8.5 (0.5–145.4) 0.139 through either psychiatric interviews or using the Mini–
Married 0.5 (0.1–3.9) 0.527 Neuropsychiatric Interview — depression module should
Relationship 0.6 (0.2–1.4) 0.193 have been used to determine actual major depressive
Students worried in the disorder among the students. Secondly, recall bias as
previous 2 weeks about a result of self-administration of the PHQ9 tool is to be
Tuition 1.1 (0.4–3.2) 0.792 expected. Also, other risk factors for depression among
Personal financial problems 0.8 (0.4–1.5) 0.488 medical students like burnout were not assessed in the
Relationships 1.7 (0.9–3.3) 0.122
present study. Lastly, the cross-sectional nature of the
Lectures 2.2 (1.1–4.4) 0.028
Ward rounds 1.3 (0.5–3.5) 0.560
study provides only associative factors and not a causal
Lacking free time 0.6 (0.3–1.3) 0.212 relationship between depression and independent
Long distances to school 0.7 (0.3–1.5) 0.316 variables.
Traumatic patient events at 1.4 (0.5–3.8) 0.517
hospital
Conclusion
Academic performance 2.5 (1.3–5.0) 0.009
Depression affects a significant number of medical stu­
Chronic illness 1.1 (0.2–4.7) 0.940
Major life event 0.6 (0.2–1.9) 0.369 dents at Makerere University. About one in five had
depression. Year of study and academic performance
were significantly associated with depression. Potential
problem-solving skills, access to basic needs, self-esteem, barriers to seeking care for depression may include stigma,
self-awareness, self-efficacy, and interpersonal skills, have cultural beliefs, cost, and limited availability of mental
been advanced as potential reasons for depression and health services. Efforts aimed at identification and evalua­
burnout for people working in the health services.39 tion of students at risk, administering appropriate

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Dovepress Olum et al

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