Adolescent depression in Trinidad and Tobago

This study investigates depression in adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago and identifies any significant trends associated with its occurrence. A stratified random sample of 1.845 adolescent students from 24 schools was administered a questionnaire requesting demographic information and responses to the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale. In all, 14% of the sample was depressed. Depression was 2.18 times more likely to occur in females than males (17.9 % vs. 8.2 %). The peak age was 16 years with a rate of 15.9%. Both attendance at a religious institution and prayer with the family resulted in lower depression rates. Intact families had the lowest rate (11.7 %),while the reconstituted family had the highest rate (25.7 %). Individuals who had alcohol abuse in their family were 1.8 times more likely to be depressed than those without abuse. Adolescents from non-prestige schools were more likely to be depressed than those from prestige schools (p<0.01). There were no ethnic differences in depression. The findings of this study are comparable to those of developed countries and provide guidelines for the planning and development of strategies for fighting depression in developing countries.