Open Access

ARTICLE

Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors among Lower Secondary School Students in Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha T. Ng¹, Nguyen C. L.^1,*, Giang T. Ng¹, Dung H. D.², Lang V. Ng³, Minh H. Ng⁴, Quan H. Ng⁵
1 Faculty of Education, University of Education—Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
2 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi Metropolitan University, Hanoi, Vietnam
3 Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam
4 Department of Pharmacy, Hanoi Children’s Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
5 Laboratory center, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi, Vietnam
* Corresponding Author: Nguyen C. L.. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.085215

Received 07 May 2026; Accepted 28 August 2026; Published online 04 September 2026

Abstract

Background: Depressive symptoms in adolescents represent a growing public health and educational challenge, especially in rapidly urbanizing settings. However, empirical data on depression and its associated psychosocial factors among lower secondary school students in Vietnam remain sparse. This study, therefore, aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to explore the demographic, academic, peer-related, and digital factors associated with these symptoms among lower secondary school students in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 2587 students selected through multistage stratified sampling from public lower secondary schools in Hanoi, Vietnam. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Educational stress, bullying victimization, cyberbullying, and problematic smartphone use were evaluated using validated, self-report measures. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed using R software. Results: Overall, 17.63% of students reported elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 5), including 8.77% with moderate-to-severe symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10). Female students had significantly higher odds of elevated depressive symptoms than male students (aOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.73–2.81, p < 0.001). High educational stress showed the strongest association with elevated depressive symptoms (aOR = 4.97, 95% CI: 3.76–6.61, p < 0.001). Frequent emotional bullying (aOR = 2.58, p < 0.001), frequent cyberbullying (aOR = 2.47, p = 0.001), frequent physical bullying (aOR = 1.58, p = 0.02), and problematic smartphone use (aOR = 1.55, p < 0.001) were also significantly associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms among lower secondary school students were strongly associated with educational stress, peer victimization (including bullying and cyberbullying), and problematic smartphone use in this study. School-based mental health interventions should prioritize academic stress reduction, bullying prevention, healthy digital behavior, and early psychological support for adolescents.

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Keywords

Depressive symptoms; adolescents; educational stress; bullying; cyberbullying; problematic smartphone use; Vietnam

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