Entering university brings on changes in lifestyle and psychological stress and has been associated with increased risk of 1988 in college students. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of depressive symptoms and associated sociodemographic and lifestyle factors among university students. A dynamic cohort of freshmen was followed up for three years, starting at their entry to university (baseline) and then annually. A structured auto administered questionnaire was applied to obtain information on age, sex, economic class, living situation, smoking and drinking, sedentary and sleep behaviors, and change in physical activity after university admission. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionaire-9. Incidence and incidence rate of depressive symptoms were calculated. Poisson Regression with robust variance was used to identify risk factors associated to these disorders. A total of 1,034 students without depressive symptoms at baseline were investigated. The overall incidence of depressive symptoms was 28.3% and the incidence rate (IR) was 2.12, being greater for females (2.75) than males (1.65). The IR decreased over time for both males (from 2.61 to 0.41) and females (from 4.25 to 0.54). A greater risk of depressive symptoms was observed for younger male students compared to those ≥20 years old (IRRadj = 1.64) and for women who reported concomitant use of alcohol and tobacco compared to those that reported no smoking and no alcohol consumption. For both males (IRRadj = 2.80) and females (IRRadj = 1.91), severe stress level was associated with greater risk of depressive symptoms when compared to mild stress level. Depressive Symptoms occurred more significantly in females, in the early years of undergraduate course, in males <20 years old, and among those with high stress level. Understanding the possible causes of depression is essential to promote mental health and well-being among college student.
Keywords: Depression; incidence; risk factors; students; universities.