Original scientific paper
CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT DEPRESSIVE DISORDER IN ADOLESCENCE; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF TWO CROATIAN COUNTIES
Silvana Krnić
; Department of Psychiatry, Split University Hospital, Split, Croatia
Sandra Vuk Pisk
; Psychiatric Hospital “Sv. Ivan”, Zagreb, Croatia
Danica Romac
; Department of Mental Health and Addiction Prevention, Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Mara Tripković
; Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Youth, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether there is a difference in the intensity of depression, suicidality, and
expression of clinical features among adolescents in two different regions of Krapina-Zagorje (KZ) and Split-Dalmatia (SD).
Subjects and methods: The study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional, the sample consisted of 200 adolescents, 100
from each region, aging 16-18 years, from various high schools. The research was conducted by psychiatrists in Split and Krapina,
where school population of Split-Dalmatia County and Krapina-Zagorje County gravitates. For the assessment of depression, the
Hamilton rating scale for depression with 21 items was used, which has proven in clinical practice. For the inclusion in the study,
among other parameters, participants needed to satisfy the criterion that depression is clinically significant (19 or more points on
the HAMD-21).
Results: The data obtained points out to statistically significant difference in the intensity of depression between the two regions
(p<0.001). There was no difference in suicidal impulses. For the most part, the expression of clinical features between adolescents in
these regions showed no significant difference, except that guilt (p=0.001), failing in the work plan and activities (p=0.000) and
paranoid ideas (p=0.013) were significantly more expressed in adolescents of Krapina-Zagorje County and sleep disorders
(p<0.001) in adolescents of Split-Dalmatia County.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that depression, suicidality and much of the clinical features depend on the developmental age,
i.e. the turbulent adolescent development, rather than on regional differences, although, to a lesser extent, the expression of clinical
features can be influenced by milieu, lifestyle, family dynamics and educational procedures, which can partially affect the expression
of clinical features.
Keywords
depression; adolescents; regional differences
Hrčak ID:
265275
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2014.
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