HIGO ALEXANDER AFEKHUA

Background: The prevalence of mental health disorders is on the rise, significantly impacting health, social dynamics, and human rights, and causing substantial consequences globally. Among these mental health challenges, depression stands out as a pervasive issue, especially affecting university students. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, prevalence, and influencing factors related to depression among undergraduate students at the University of Benin in South-South Nigeria. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted at the University of Benin, Nigeria, aimed to assess depression among full-time undergraduate students. Utilizing a multi- stage sampling technique, 460 students were selected. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographics, knowledge of depression, prevalence (using PHQ-9), and associated factors. Ethical considerations were addressed, including confidentiality measures. Results will contribute to understanding the prevalence of depression and associated factors among university students. Results: The ages of respondents were between 15-39 years and 269 (58.5%) of respondents were within the age group of 20-24 with the mean age being 23.5. More than half 253(55.0%) of the respondents were females while males constituted 207 (45.0%) of the respondents. Among the respondents, 104 (22.6%) were in 200L, 120 (26.1%) in 300L, 119 (25.6%) in 400L, 78 (17.0%) in 500L and 39 (8.5%) in 600L. Overall knowledge score for depression was good (66%). There was a significant relationship between knowledge of depression and study level (χ 2 =9.533, p=0.048) of the respondents. The prevalence of depression among the respondents was 239 (52%). The risk factors that were 1 significantly related were alcoholism, use of psychoactive drugs, heartbreak, sexual abuse, poor interpersonal relationships with colleagues, financial problems, and death of a loved one, as well as long stay in school, previous personal and family history of depression, and failed examinations. Conclusion: The knowledge of depression among undergraduates is notably high, with a disturbing prevalence, with risk factors ranging from environmental, socioeconomic, medical, psychological, academic, and familial factors.