dc.description.abstract | Background:Very few studies compare the differences of the levels of depressive symptoms between adolescent population in urban and rural districts and between this population in the schools with various levels of the academic competitions. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to compare the levels of depressive sympotome and its associated factors between the junior high school students in the north city (Hsinchu) and rural region (Hualien), and between students from rural region in the schools with different levels of the academic competitions. The associated factors with depressive symptoms in this study include demographic data (gender, grade, family structure), body appreciation, and risk healthy behaviors (fast food, total sleep hours, physical activities and inactivities, substance use, and BMI). Methods:This study adopts a cross-sectional correlation design. With using convenience sampling, a total of 584 junior high school students participated in this study and they are from north city(Hsinchu)(N=99) and east rural region(Hualien) in which there were three schools with different levels of the academic competitions (high level, n=156;middle level, n=150;low level, n=174). The structured questionnaires were used to collect data including demographic questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D Scale), Body Appreciation questionnaire(BAS)and Genernal health and health behavior questionnaire. Results: There were no significant differences in the levels of depressive sympotome between the junior high school students in the north city and rural region, and between students from rural region in the schools with different levels of the academic competitions. Multiple regression analysis indicated that body appreciation was the main protective factor, drink with alcohol ingredient and insufficient sleep hours were the main risk factors of depressive symptoms for all participants from city and rural regions. The differences in associated factors with depressive symptoms were for the students in city, fast food consumption was correlated with higher depressive symptoms while for the students in rural region, perceived lower general health levels were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Among rural regions with different levels of the academic competitions, for the high level of competitive school, insufficient sleep hours during weekday were related to higher depressive symptoms, for the middle level of competitive school, inactivity levels (watching television during weekend) and drink with sugar ingredient was related to higher depressive symptoms, for the low level of competitive school, inactivity levels (use a computer for surfing the web, exchanging email or participating in a chat room) were correlated with higher depressive symptoms. Conclusions:Body appreciation was the main protective factor, and risk healthy behaviors (drink with alcohol ingredient and insufficient sleep hours) were the main risk factors of depressive symptoms for all students in the city and rural regions. The risk healthy behaviors (insufficient sleep hours and inactivity levels) were the main factor of depressive symptoms for students of the high and low competitive schools in rural region. The identified risk and protective factors could be regarded as the targets for developing depression prevention program for adolescent population. | en |