Depression and anxiety among Grade 11 and 12 learners attending schools in central Bloemfontein

Abstract

<p><strong>Objectives.</strong> Anxiety disorders are the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. Previous research suggests that South African rates may be high. Our study examined the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depression among Grade 11 and 12 learners attending schools in central Bloemfontein. Learners’ perception of the important stressors as well as the most relevant coping strategies were investigated.<strong></strong></p><p><strong> Methods.</strong> A cross-sectional study was conducted by using self-assessment rating scales and questionnaires. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to screen for anxiety and depressive symptoms. Participants were provided with an additional list of possible stressors and coping skills, from which they identified those applicable to themselves. All students enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 at the selected schools during August 2009 were eligible for inclusion.</p><p><strong>Results.</strong> Five hundred and fifteen learners participated in the study, of whom 32.0% presented with moderate or severe anxiety and 5.3% with moderate or severe depressive symptoms. Mild symptoms were reported by an additional 29.0% on the anxiety subscale and 14% on the depression subscale of the HADS. Academic workload was reported as the main source of stress (81.4%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions.</strong> Although the study has limitations in terms of methodology and size, resulting in undetermined validity, it indicates possible higher prevalence rates for anxiety and depression than in previous South African studies and worldwide prevalence rates for adolescents. Pupils were generally hesitant to seek help from formal assistance structures provided by the schools, and preferred discussing problems with parents or friends.</p>

The prevalence of mental health problems in sub-Saharan adolescents: A systematic review

“…Sixteen studies were carried out at sub-Saharan African research institutions [ 21 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 37 – 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 , 50 – 52 , 54 – 56 ] the majority in South Africa (n = 9). Nineteen of the studies were conducted in collaboration with researchers from HIC or other LMIC [ 13 , 22 – 30 , 35 , 36 , 40 , 43 , 48 , 49 , 53 , 55 , 57 ] and four studies were carried out by researchers based in HIC [ 34 , 42 , 45 , 46 ].…”

“…Twelve different screening tools and one clinical interview were used. As indicated in Fig 2 , the median point prevalence for depression across nine general population studies encompassing 14 409 adolescents [ 21 , 22 , 33 , 37 , 39 , 43 , 45 , 49 , 50 ] was 26.9% and the interquartile range (IQR) was 20.1–31.1 The median point prevalence for 11 studies (n = 12 614) with at-risk samples [ 25 – 28 , 30 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 48 , 52 , 53 ] was 29.0% (IQR 12.9–42.0) as shown in Fig 3 .…”

“…Prevalence of anxiety in the general population. Three of the studies were conducted in schools [45,49,50], one in households [37]. Stansfeld et al reported a prevalence of 15.6% using the 19-item Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) in a sample of Grade 8 learners from Cape Town, South Africa (n = 1 034, mean age 14.2) [49].…”

Adolescent attachment, family functioning and depressive symptoms

“…[7] In South Africa (SA), Kleintjes et al [8] reported that, although there were limited data on the prevalence of depression in SA adolescents, their study found that depression was one of the most common disorders reported in childhood and adolescence. Strydom et al [9] found that even though the prevalence of depression was not high in their sample, the depression rate was still higher in their adolescent sample compared with SA adult rates. Depression is a debilitating diagnosis and a subthreshold depression is known to affect quality of life.…”

Reasons for parasuicide among patients admitted to Tshilidzini Hospital, Limpopo Province: A qualitative study

“…Younger age groups of both genders are at higher risk, with female parasuicides being younger than males in many studies. [9] In SA age, race and city play independent roles in sex-specific suicide rates [10] and there is a need for specific research into suicide attempts in different SA cities. Despite some common trends across SA cities, there are variations in the magnitude and distribution of suicide mortality across race and sex groups and in the suicide method.…”