Abstract

Out of the 300 million people suffering from depression globally, 85% live in low- and middle-income countries and
Uganda is ranked among top six countries in Africa with the highest cases of mental disorders. According to the
latest WHO report, 4.6% Ugandans suffer from depressive disorders. There was scarcity of data in Uganda and
worse still in Kampala International University Western Campus (KIU-WC) 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. A descriptive cross-sectional study design among 209 BMS
students in KIU-WC was carried out between the months of NOV to April 2022. A pretested questionnaire was
used to collect background data while Beck's Depression Inventory was used to assess for the levels of depression
among 209 BMS students 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 majority (60.3%) were males. The overall
prevalence of depression was 39.7% (moderate depression 34.4%, severe depression 5.3%). Factors associated with
depression were; female sex (X2=133.81; p<0.001), age more 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=116.93p<0.001),
relationship (X2=68.87; p<0.001) and alcohol consumption (X2=28.31; p<0.001).
Depression among BMS students in KIU western campus is high and is associated with female sex, old age, advanced
year 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.