TLDR
About one in four Malaysian students showed signs of depression. Girls, older students, lonely teens, bullied students, and those with weaker family support faced greater risk.
Summary
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1 Study Aim
The study aimed to estimate depressive symptoms (signs of depression) among Malaysian students aged 13 to 17. The authors also examined personal, family, social, and school-related factors linked with higher or lower likelihood. They sought evidence to guide prevention and support programs suited to Malaysian schools. The research asked which students were more likely to show signs of depression and which circumstances might offer protection.
2 Study Design
The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study (a survey taken at one time) using Malaysia’s 2022 National Health and Morbidity Survey. Multistage stratified cluster sampling (selecting schools, then classes, across population groups) recruited 33,523 secondary students aged 13 to 17. Researchers selected 240 government and private schools, then invited students in chosen classes. Participants completed anonymous, self-administered questionnaires in June and July 2022. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a nine-question symptom checklist, identified depressive symptoms using scores of 10 or higher. The authors used weighted logistic regression (a statistical method estimating links between factors and outcomes) while accounting for the sampling design. The researchers surveyed a large national group of Malaysian school students and compared their reported experiences.
3 Findings
The study found depressive symptoms in 26.9% of students, or about one in four. Girls had more than twice the adjusted odds (comparisons accounting for other measured factors) of symptoms than boys. Older students also had higher odds, while Chinese and Indian students had lower odds than Malay students. Higher odds were associated with parental separation or widowhood, loneliness, lacking close friends, worry preventing sleep, bullying, truancy, and weak parental bonding or understanding. Loneliness and worry-related sleep problems showed the strongest associations. Because the survey measured factors at one time, it cannot show that these experiences caused depression. The authors recommend targeted school prevention, bullying reduction, family-support, and early-help programs. Schools should look especially closely at lonely students, bullied students, older girls, and teens lacking support at home.