Publications

Out of the 300 million people who suffer from depression globally, 85% live in low- and middle-income countries,and Uganda was ranked among the top six countries in Africa with the highest cases of mental disorders.According to the latest WHO report, 4.6% of Ugandans suffer from depressive disorders. There was a scarcity ofdata in Uganda and worse still in Kampala International University Western Campus on depression and itsassociated factors among clinical medicine students. Thus, this study sought to find out the local burden ofdepression and its risk factors among clinical medicine students at KIU-WC attached to Hoima regional referralhospital for clinical placement. A descriptive cross-sectional study design among 209 BMS students at KIU-WCwas carried out between the months of June 2022 and January 2023. A pretested questionnaire was used to collectbackground data, while Beck's Depression Inventory was used to assess the levels of depression among 209 BMSstudents at Hoima regional referral hospital in KIU-WC. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25.The participants’ ages ranged from 19 to 28 years, with a mean of 21.8 ± 2.2 years, and the majority (60.3%) weremales. The overall prevalence of depression was 39.7%, moderate depression was 34.4%, and severe depression was5.3%. Factors associated with depression were female sex (X2 = 133.81; p<0.001), age greater than 26 years (X2 =60.72; p<0.001), final year of study (X2 = 94.66; p<0.001), more than 100,00/= monthly upkeep (X2 =103.07; p<0.001), retakes (X2 = 116.93; p<0.001), relationship (X2 = 68.87; p<0.001), and alcohol consumption(X2 = 28.31; p<0.001). Depression among BMS students at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital from KIU Westerncampus was high and was associated with female sex, old age, advanced years of study, monthly upkeep, retakes,relationships, and alcohol consumption. The study recommends the creation of support groups with counselingfacilities within KIU and all medical schools in Uganda. Furthermore, there should be routine screening fordepression among medical students to facilitate early detection and management. Further research using a widerpopulation and diagnostic methods should be considered.Keywords: Depression, Alcohol consumption, Medical students, Male, Depressive disorders