Abstract:
Depression is one of the most prevalent common mental
disorders globally. This condition is also known to be a risk
factor for other conditions such as suicidality, drug use disorders
and delinquency among others. Understanding the prevalence of
depression is important in designing intervention strategies. The
sample size included 16 public secondary schools with 396
participants. Simple random and stratified sampling techniques
were used. Data were collected using standardized questionnaire
for depression, the PHQ 9. Quantitative data was analyzed using
descriptive statistics. The results showed that across all the
different types of schools, most of the students had a low levels of
depression. The highest number of students with low or
moderate levels of depression were in mixed boarding schools
followed by mixed day secondary schools. The study
recommends provision of resources to help strengthen the school
guidance and counseling departments. Strengthening the
relationships between parents, learning institutions and
adolescents through regular engagement.
