Open Access

ARTICLE

Challenges of Adolescence: Depressive Symptoms and Associated Family and Sociodemographic Factors in 15–18-Year-Olds in Vojvodina, Serbia

Sonja Čanković^1,2, Vesna Petrović³, Vesna Mijatović Jovanović^1,2, Tanja Tomašević^1,2, Dragana Milijašević^1,2, Dušan Čanković^1,4,*

1 Department of Social Medicine and Health Statistics with Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia
2 Center for Analysis, Planning and Organization of Health Care, Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia
3 Service for the Health Care of Women and Children, Primary Health Care Centre “Dr Milorad Mika Pavlović”, Indjija, 22320, Serbia
4 Center for Health Promotion, Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia

* Corresponding Author: Dušan Čanković. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Mental Health and Subjective Well-being of Students: New Perspectives in Theory and Practice)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(8), 1071-1086. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066430

Received 08 April 2025; Accepted 18 July 2025; Issue published 29 August 2025

Abstract

Objectives: Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in adolescence. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) in adolescents aged 15–18 years in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (APV) and to analyze the association of sociodemographic and family factors with DS. Methods: The sample consisted of 986 students (47.4% females and 52.6% males) from ten government high schools in all seven districts of the APV. The Kutcher Adolescents Depression Scale (KADS) was used as a screening test for DS. Sociodemographic data were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. A three-level binary logistic regression model was conducted to explore the association between sociodemographic and family factors and DS. Results: Symptoms of depression were presented in 27.9% of females (95% CI = 23.9%–32.2%) and 14.7% of males (95% CI = 11.7%–18.0%) (χ² = 25.129, p < 0.001). In terms of parents’ employment, DS were more prevalent among students whose fathers were unemployed or retired (31.4%, 95% CI = 20.9%–43.6%) (χ² = 4.376, p = 0.036). In the multilevel logistic regression model, males had 56% lower odds of having DS compared to females (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.30–0.65). Students with fathers who completed high school had 46% lower odds of depression compared to those whose fathers had the lowest education level (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.30–0.98), and having an employed mother was associated with 40% lower odds of DS in students compared to those whose mothers were unemployed (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.38–0.95). Conclusions: The study revealed a high prevalence of DS among adolescents. Girls have significantly higher values of prevalence of DS than boys, and adolescents whose fathers are without employment or retired. Gender, the father’s education, and the mother’s employment status are significant predictors of DS. Screening programs and the adoption of targeted prevention programs intended for vulnerable populations are extremely important.

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