Depressive symptoms among international university students in northern Japan: Prevalence and associated factors / 国際保健医療

ABSTRACT

<B>Objective</B><BR>The purpose of this article is to investigate the extent of depressive symptoms among international students and the characteristics of those at risk.<BR><B>Methods</B><BR>Evidence is derived from self-administered questionnaire interviews of 480 international students enrolled in a university in northern Japan. Depressive symptoms are measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. The associations of socio-demographic characteristics with depressive symptoms are examined using multiple logistic regression analysis.<BR><B>Results</B><BR>Of the 480 respondents, 197 (41%) have depressive symptoms. The results indicate that gender, course category, and residential arrangement are significantly associated with the risk of having depressive symptoms.<BR><B>Discussion</B><BR>Depressive symptoms are relatively prevalent, but these are not a generalized condition since these tend to occur among specific sub-groups of international students. There is a need to further investigate the mental illness so that those with elevated risks are identified and given support.