Prevalence of and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress among adolescents in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant mental health challenges among adolescents in Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and associated factors of depression, anxiety and stress among adolescents of Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Methods: This cross-sectional study used a two-stage cluster sampling procedure for collecting the sample. A total of 2030 adolescents were enrolled from urban and rural areas of all eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21 (DASS-21) scale was used to assess depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescents. In addition, data on sociodemographics, parenting style, food insecurity, and anthropometric measures were also obtained. Linear regression was done to measure the risk factors.  Results: Depression, anxiety, and stress were identified in 18%, 14%, and 16% of adolescents, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics such as female sex, higher age, urban resident, food insecurity, and poor parenting were significant risk factors for depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, inconsistent parenting has been identified as a significant risk factor for depression only.  Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, depression, anxiety, and stress are found quite common among adolescents. Therefore, necessary action is required to prevent the mental health epidemic from spreading.