Abstract
Depression and suicide among students is a rapidly increasing concern in India, which is worsening in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Student deaths by suicide account for 7.4% of total suicide cases in India and the prevalence of such cases is increasing every year (NCRB, n. d.). This study considers the prevalence of depression among college going students in healthcare and non-healthcare related fields and evaluate the impact of various factors such as the field of study and regular exercise on level of depression. Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI - II) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire- Short Form (IPAQ-SF), along with additional questions about geographical and personal details were used for data collection on 201 students with the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the prevalence rates of students due to various factors. The results suggested that there is no significant difference between the scores of depression among students studying in different fields and engaging in different levels of physical activity. However, it was found that depression is more prevalent in females than in males. It was also found that around 40.8% of students are experiencing some kind of depressive symptoms.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Physiology, Kinesiology and Psychology of Wellness in its Social Context
KEYWORDS
DEPRESSION, LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, GENDER, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, INTERVENTIONS
