PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION SELF-STIGMA AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SABYA CITY, 2019: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Self-stigma is one of the three main barriers to treatment and receiving the needed care for people with depression. Additionally, depressed people who have self-stigma have a low expectation for recovery, avoid seeking help and delay or stop treatment early.

Objectives: To assess depression literacy, depression self-stigma and relationship between them among secondary school students.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Sabya city, in Jazan among a representative sample of secondary school students. An interview questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics of the participants, validated Arabic version of Self-Stigma of Depression Scale and the validated Arabic validated version of the Depression Literacy Questionnaire.

Results: Depression literacy is relatively low, correlated negatively with depression personal stigma and positively with perceived depression stigma among secondary school students. Female students were more knowledgeable about depression compared to males. Students` age was negatively correlate with depression stigma scale and score of personal subscale of depression stigma score was significantly high in males in correlation with females.

Keywords: Depression, stigma, self-stigma, depression literacy, stigma prevalence.