Abstract

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 of
data in Uganda and worse still in Kampala International University Western Campus on depression and its
associated factors among clinical medicine students. Thus, this study sought to find out the local burden of
depression and its risk factors among clinical medicine students at KIU-WC attached to Hoima regional referral
hospital for clinical placement. A descriptive cross-sectional study design among 209 BMS students at KIU-WC
was carried out between the months of June 2022 and January 2023. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect
background data, while Beck's Depression Inventory was used to assess the levels of depression among 209 BMS
students 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%) were
males. The overall prevalence of depression was 39.7%, moderate depression was 34.4%, and severe depression was
5.3%. 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 Western
campus 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 counseling
facilities within KIU and all medical schools in Uganda. Furthermore, there should be routine screening for
depression among medical students to facilitate early detection and management. Further research using a wider
population and diagnostic methods should be considered.
Keywords: Depression, Alcohol consumption, Medical students, Male, Depressive disorders