Depressive(symptomatology(among(undergraduate(students(at...
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Depressive symptomatology among undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus: Preliminary Results Gabriela Alfonzo Cordero (UPRM), Antonio Cruz Rosario (UPRM) & Abimelec Torres Serrano (UPRM) Abstract According to the DSM V, Depression is characterized by anhedonia, weight gain or loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitaFon or inhibiFon, faFgue, excessive or inappropriate feelings of uselessness or guilt, lowered capacity for thinking or concentraFon, recurring thoughts of death, and/or a depressed mood most of the Fme (American Psychological AssociaFon, 2013). As reported by the World Health OrganizaFon (2015), depression affects 350 million people worldwide and “in the worst case can lead to suicide.” In a 2011 study by Bonilla & Santos, it was found that 56% of students at the Mayagüez Campus who parFcipated presented depression symptoms. Sociodemographic variables such as academic stressors have been idenFfied as risk factors for depression in studies performed in the United States and other countries. This study looked to explore the relaFonship between depression and the year of study in undergraduate students in the Mayagüez Campus. Students were selected randomly from a list provided by the registrar’s office. ParFcipants completed an online quesFonnaire composed by sociodemographic items and a revised version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Primary results will include the distribuFon of depression symptoms by year of study and the correlaFon between them as well as age. Findings could contribute to applied social research, by documenFng previous results about the prevalence of depression in this populaFon and jusFfy the need to provide workshops and seminars to students with the objecFve of promoFng awareness of depression indicators and the necessity of prevenFve intervenFon. ObjecCves Primary objecFve : Describe depressive symptomatology among UPRM’s undergraduate students. Secondary objecFves : Determine the relaFonships between depressive symptomatology and year of study in undergraduate students at Mayagüez campus. IntroducCon According to the DSM V, Depression is characterized by anhedonia, weight gain or loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitaFon or inhibiFon, faFgue, excessive or inappropriate feelings of uselessness or guilt, lowered capacity for thinking or concentraFon, recurring thoughts of death, and/or a depressed mood most of the Fme (American Psychological AssociaFon, 2013). As reported by the World Health OrganizaFon (2015), depression affects 350 million people worldwide and “in the worst case can lead to suicide.” In a 2011 study by Bonilla & Santos, it was found that 56% of students at the Mayagüez Campus who parFcipated presented depression symptoms. The theoreFcal model used in this study was Beck’s CogniFve Model of depression. According to Beck, the source of depression lies within one’s cogniFve processes. An irraFonal thought will precipitate into pacerns of maladapFve conceptualizaFons. Beck calls this “cogniFve triad,” which consists of a negaFve view of the self, the present, and the future. Thus, parFcular cogniFve schemas are produced and, because these determine an individual’s conceptualizaFon of reality and their behavior, there will be a tendency to interpret life’s events in a negaFve manner (Ziegler, S., 2005, p. 5865). IRB approval was obtained (IRB/RUM APR42016, APR32017; 00002053). Data was gathered as part of a broader study on depression, dysfuncFonal cogniFons, and lifestyles. An online quesFonnaire using Qualtrics Survey Program was developed to gather data. A sample of 3,000 undergraduate students over the age of 21 (split evenly by gender) was invited to parFcipate via email. Preliminary data from a sample of 91 (81.3% female and 18.7% males) respondents was used. ParFcipants completed an online quesFonnaire composed of eleven sociodemographic items and a revised and Spanish translated version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Furthermore, parFcipants were asked a series of quesFons about psychological or emoFonal problems at some point of their lives and depressive symptoms that could be affecFng areas such as: work, studies, and interpersonal relaFonships. Scores of the revised version of the BDI range from 0 to 66 (Bonilla, Bernal, Santos, & Santos, 2004). For research purposes, scores under 21 indicate an absence of depressive symptomatology and scores of 21 or above indicate depressive symptomatology. Data was analyzed using the program IBM SPSS StaFsFcs. Conclusions The majority of the parFcipants (79.1%) reported having experienced some kind of psychological or emoFonal problem at some point of their lives, the majority reported problems such as: stress, anxiety, depression or mood, and family problems. It is possible that the academic pressure that falls upon university students may cause them high amounts of stress and anxiety, which could set up new feelings of sadness and depression or aggravate exisFng ones. This finding is consistent with the literature which states that stress and anxiety are two of the most consistently reported problems. Furthemore, this problem background also fits Beck’s CogniFve Model of Depression. According to Beck, the source of depression is in one's cogniFve process, the determinant of behavior and mental state. In this study, 17 parFcipants, which accounts for 18.7% of the preliminary sample were found to score 21 or higher on the BDI, indicaFng a likely presence of depressive symptomatology. Preliminary results suggest the need to further evaluate these parFcipants for the possible diagnosis of clinical depression. Due to having only preliminary results with a small sample, we are presently unable to perform a proper correlaFon analyses. Future Work Data collecFon and analysis will conFnue. A larger sample size is desired. It is hoped that findings could contribute to applied social research, by documenFng previous results about the prevalence of depression in this populaFon and jusFfy the need to provide workshops and seminars to students with the objecFve of promoFng awareness of depression indicators and the necessity of prevenFve intervenFon. Bibliography American Psychiatric AssociaFon. (2013). DiagnosFc and staFsFcal manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Bonilla, J., Bernal, G., Santos, A. and Santos, D. (2004), A revised Spanish version of the Beck Depression Inventory: Psychometric properFes with a Puerto Rican sample of college students. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60: 119– 130. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10195 Bonilla, J., & Santos, D. (2011). Informe EjecuFvo de Hallazgos al Consejo de Educación Superior de Puerto Rico. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Departamento de Ciencias Sociales. Centro de InvesFgación Social Aplicada. World Health OrganizaFon (2016, April). Depression. Retrieved from www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/ Ziegler, Shirley Melat. "Beck's CogniFve Theory of Depression.”. TheoryDirected Nursing PracFce. New york: Sringer Pub. Co., 2005. 5681. Acknowledgements PAIS (Undergraduate Research Training Program) at CISA UPRM Department of PsychologyUPRM Method 11.4 11.6 11.8 12 12.2 12.4 12.6 Figure 3. Mean and Standard DeviaCon for BDI scores mean Std. dev. 81.3% 18.7% Figure 1. Percentage of parCcipants who presented depressive symptomatology in their BDI scores (21 or higher) Percentage that does not present depressive symptomatology Percentage that presents depressive symptomatology The quesFonnaire was completed by 91 parFcipants, 81.3% females and 18.7% males. The mean age for parFcipants was 22.33 (SD 4.48). 38 parFcipants reported to seek professional help to deal with their problems (see Figure 2), of which 29 (76.3%) visited a clinical psychologist. When asked if this service beneficed them, only 5.5% reported having few or no benefit, 28.9% beneficed somewhat, 34.2% beneficed much, and 23.7% reported having beneficed greatly from the services. Mean BDI scores and their standard deviaFon are shown in Figure 3. Scores on the BDI ranged from 0 to 58 (out of a maximum of 66). 17 parFcipants (18.7%) scored 21 or higher, which is indicaFve of depressive symptomatology (see Figure 1). The mean age for these parFcipants was 23.88 (std. dev. 3.99). ParFcipants also expressed that their personal lives were affected negaFvely by concentraFon problems (42.9%), loss of energy or physical or mental faFgue (41.8%), and decisionmaking difficulty (29.7%), among others. Results 35.2% 53.8% 57.1% 63.7% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% Difficulty with classes and/or studies Depression or mood Anxiety Stress Figure 2. Most common problems reported by parCcipants 12.40 11.75
Transcript of Depressive(symptomatology(among(undergraduate(students(at...
Depressive symptomatology among undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico-‐Mayagüez Campus: Preliminary Results
Gabriela Alfonzo Cordero (UPRM), Antonio Cruz Rosario (UPRM) & Abimelec Torres Serrano (UPRM)
Abstract According to the DSM V, Depression is characterized by
anhedonia, weight gain or loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitaFon or inhibiFon, faFgue, excessive or inappropriate feelings of uselessness or guilt, lowered capacity for thinking or concentraFon, recurring thoughts of death, and/or a depressed mood most of the Fme (American Psychological AssociaFon, 2013). As reported by the World Health OrganizaFon (2015), depression affects 350 million people worldwide and “in the worst case can lead to suicide.” In a 2011 study by Bonilla & Santos, it was found that 56% of students at the Mayagüez Campus who parFcipated presented depression symptoms. Sociodemographic variables such as academic stressors have been idenFfied as risk factors for depression in studies performed in the United States and other countries. This study looked to explore the relaFonship between depression and the year of study in undergraduate students in the Mayagüez Campus. Students were selected randomly from a list provided by the registrar’s office. ParFcipants completed an online quesFonnaire composed by sociodemographic items and a revised version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Primary results will include the distribuFon of depression symptoms by year of study and the correlaFon between them as well as age. Findings could contribute to applied social research, by documenFng previous results about the prevalence of depression in this populaFon and jusFfy the need to provide workshops and seminars to students with the objecFve of promoFng awareness of depression indicators and the necessity of prevenFve intervenFon.
ObjecCves Primary objecFve: Describe depressive symptomatology among UPRM’s undergraduate students. Secondary objecFves: Determine the relaFonships between depressive symptomatology and year of study in undergraduate students at Mayagüez campus.
IntroducCon According to the DSM V, Depression is characterized by
anhedonia, weight gain or loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitaFon or inhibiFon, faFgue, excessive or inappropriate feelings of uselessness or guilt, lowered capacity for thinking or concentraFon, recurring thoughts of death, and/or a depressed mood most of the Fme (American Psychological AssociaFon, 2013). As reported by the World Health OrganizaFon (2015), depression affects 350 million people worldwide and “in the worst case can lead to suicide.” In a 2011 study by Bonilla & Santos, it was found that 56% of students at the Mayagüez Campus who parFcipated presented depression symptoms.
The theoreFcal model used in this study was Beck’s CogniFve Model of depression. According to Beck, the source of depression lies within one’s cogniFve processes. An irraFonal thought will precipitate into pacerns of maladapFve conceptualizaFons. Beck calls this “cogniFve triad,” which consists of a negaFve view of the self, the present, and the future. Thus, parFcular cogniFve schemas are produced and, because these determine an individual’s conceptualizaFon of reality and their behavior, there will be a tendency to interpret life’s events in a negaFve manner (Ziegler, S., 2005, p. 58-‐65).
IRB approval was obtained (IRB/RUM APR-‐42016, APR-‐32017; 00002053). Data was gathered as part of a broader study on depression, dysfuncFonal cogniFons, and lifestyles. An online quesFonnaire using Qualtrics Survey Program was developed to gather data. A sample of 3,000 undergraduate students over the age of 21 (split evenly by gender) was invited to parFcipate via e-‐mail. Preliminary data from a sample of 91 (81.3% female and 18.7% males) respondents was used. ParFcipants completed an online quesFonnaire composed of eleven sociodemographic items and a revised and Spanish-‐translated version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Furthermore, parFcipants were asked a series of quesFons about psychological or emoFonal problems at
some point of their lives and depressive symptoms that could be affecFng areas such as: work, studies, and interpersonal relaFonships. Scores of the revised version of the BDI range from 0 to 66 (Bonilla, Bernal, Santos, & Santos, 2004). For research purposes, scores under 21 indicate an absence of depressive symptomatology and scores of 21 or above indicate depressive symptomatology. Data was analyzed using the program IBM SPSS StaFsFcs.
Conclusions The majority of the parFcipants (79.1%) reported having
experienced some kind of psychological or emoFonal problem at some point of their lives, the majority reported problems such as: stress, anxiety, depression or mood, and family problems. It is possible that the academic pressure that falls upon university students may cause them high amounts of stress and anxiety, which could set up new feelings of sadness and depression or aggravate exisFng ones. This finding is consistent with the literature which states that stress and anxiety are two of the most consistently reported problems. Furthemore, this problem background also fits Beck’s CogniFve Model of Depression. According to Beck, the source of depression is in one's cogniFve process, the determinant of behavior and mental state. In this study, 17 parFcipants, which accounts for 18.7% of the preliminary sample were found to score 21 or higher on the BDI, indicaFng a likely presence of depressive symptomatology. Preliminary results suggest the need to further evaluate these parFcipants for the possible diagnosis of clinical depression.
Due to having only preliminary results with a small sample, we are presently unable to perform a proper correlaFon analyses.
Future Work Data collecFon and analysis will conFnue. A larger sample
size is desired. It is hoped that findings could contribute to applied social research, by documenFng previous results about the prevalence of depression in this populaFon and jusFfy the need to provide workshops and seminars to students with the objecFve of promoFng awareness of depression indicators and the necessity of prevenFve intervenFon.
Bibliography American Psychiatric AssociaFon. (2013). DiagnosFc and staFsFcal manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Bonilla, J., Bernal, G., Santos, A. and Santos, D. (2004), A revised Spanish version of the Beck Depression Inventory: Psychometric properFes with a Puerto Rican sample of college students. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60: 119– 130. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10195 Bonilla, J., & Santos, D. (2011). Informe EjecuFvo de Hallazgos al Consejo de Educación Superior de Puerto Rico. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Departamento de Ciencias Sociales. Centro de InvesFgación Social Aplicada. World Health OrganizaFon (2016, April). Depression. Retrieved from www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/ Ziegler, Shirley Melat. "Beck's CogniFve Theory of Depression.”. Theory-‐Directed Nursing PracFce. New york: Sringer Pub. Co., 2005. 56-‐81.
Acknowledgements PAIS (Undergraduate Research Training Program) at CISA-‐UPRM Department of Psychology-‐UPRM
Method
11.4
11.6
11.8
12
12.2
12.4
12.6
Figure 3. Mean and Standard DeviaCon for BDI scores
mean Std. dev.
81.3%
18.7%
Figure 1. Percentage of parCcipants who presented depressive symptomatology in their BDI scores (21 or higher)
Percentage that does not present depressive symptomatology Percentage that presents depressive symptomatology
The quesFonnaire was completed by 91 parFcipants, 81.3% females and 18.7% males. The mean age for parFcipants was 22.33 (SD 4.48).
38 parFcipants reported to seek professional help to deal with their problems (see Figure 2), of which 29 (76.3%) visited a clinical psychologist. When asked if this service beneficed them, only 5.5% reported having few or no benefit, 28.9% beneficed somewhat, 34.2% beneficed much, and 23.7% reported having beneficed greatly from the services.
Mean BDI scores and their standard deviaFon are shown in Figure 3. Scores on the BDI ranged from 0 to 58 (out of a maximum of 66). 17 parFcipants (18.7%) scored 21 or higher, which is indicaFve of depressive symptomatology
(see Figure 1). The mean age for these parFcipants was 23.88 (std. dev. 3.99). ParFcipants also expressed that their personal lives were affected negaFvely
by concentraFon problems (42.9%), loss of energy or physical or mental faFgue (41.8%), and decision-‐making difficulty (29.7%), among others.
Results
35.2%
53.8%
57.1%
63.7%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
Difficulty with classes and/or studies
Depression or mood
Anxiety
Stress
Figure 2. Most common problems reported by parCcipants
12.40
11.75
