Prevalence of associated factors on depression during COVID 19 in students in a minority serving institution: A cross sectional study

Humairat H Rahman; Zainab Akinjobi; Jonathan Barboza Morales; Stuart H Munson-McGee; Charlotte Gard

doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100605

Prevalence of associated factors on depression during COVID 19 in students in a minority serving institution: A cross sectional study

J Affect Disord Rep. 2023 Jul:13:100605. doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100605. Epub 2023 Jun 13.

Authors

Humairat H Rahman¹, Zainab Akinjobi², Jonathan Barboza Morales³, Stuart H Munson-McGee⁴, Charlotte Gard⁵

Affiliations

¹ New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
² Department of Economics, Applied Statistics & International Business, New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
³ Department of Computer Science, New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
⁴ Data Forward Analytics, LLC, Principal. Las Cruces, NM 88011, USA.
⁵ Department of Economics, Applied Statistics and International Business, New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the learning style of university students in the US, affecting their mental health of students. This study aims to understand the factors that influenced depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in the New Mexico State University (NMSU) student population.

Methods: A questionnaire assessing mental health and lifestyle factors was delivered to NMSU students by using Qualtrics^XM software. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire- 9 (PHQ-9); depression was defined as a score ≥10. Single and multifactor logistic regression was performed using R software.

Results: This study determined that the prevalence of depression among female students was 72% and 56.30% among male students. Several covariates were significant for increased odds of depression in students, including decreased diet quality (OR: 5.126, 95% CI: 3.186-8.338), annual household income $10,000 - $20,000 (OR: 3.161, 95% CI: 1.444-7.423), increased alcohol consumption (OR: 2.362, 95% CI: 1.504-3.787), increased smoking (OR: 3.581, 95% CI:1.671-8.911), quarantining due to COVID (OR: 2.001, 95% CI: 1.348-2.976), and family member dying of COVID (OR: 1.916, 95% CI: 1.072-3.623). Covariates of being male (OR: 0.501, 95% CI: 0.324-0.776), married (OR: 0.499, 95% CI: 0.318-0.786), eating a balanced diet (OR: 0.472, 95% CI: 0.316-0.705), and sleeping 7-8 h per night (OR: 0.271, 95% CI: 0.175-0.417) were all protective factors for depression in NMSU students.

Limitation: This is a cross-sectional study, and therefore, causation cannot be determined.

Conclusion: Several factors regarding demographics, lifestyle, living arrangements, alcohol and tobacco use, sleeping behavior, family vaccination, and COVID status were significantly associated with depression in students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Alcohol; COVID-19; Depression; Smoking; Student; Vaccine.