Modelling the risk factors of depression among students using binary logistic regression
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55573/JISED.118780Keywords:
Depression, Sleep Quality, Physical Activity and Perceived Social SupportAbstract
Depression is one of the most common mental health problems among university students and may negatively affect their daily activities and overall well-being. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of depression and explore factors such as gender, academic performance, sleep quality, physical activity and perceived social support associated with depression among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 98 undergraduate students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kota Bharu. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire that comprised the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10), Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that sleep quality and perceived social support were significant factors associated of depression. Students who had good quality of sleep and high level of perceived social support exhibited reduced odds of depression. In conclusion, sleep quality and perceived social support were significantly associated with depression among university students. This study provides an insight into the association between sleep quality and perceived social support with depression. Findings can be used to inform interventions to promote healthy sleep and strengthen social support to reduce the risk of depression and improve students’mental well-being.
Downloads
References
Abdullah, R., Rahim, M. M., Mohammad Asyri, M. A., & Ramza, M. Z. I. G. C. (2022). The Causes of Depression among Adolescents at University Malaysia Sabah. 9(1), 17–30. Malaysia Journal of Business and Economics. https://doi.org/10.51200/mjbe.vi.3795
Akhtari-Zavare, M., Mohd Sidik, S., Kotera, Y., & Gani, N. A. (2023). Determinants of Depression among University Students in Malaysia: A national Cross-sectional Study. Health Education and Health Promotion, 11(4), 599–608. https://doi.org/10.58209/hehp.11.4.599
Alam, S., Kalra, S., Rai, R., & Raghav, D. (2023). Frequency and Associated Factors of Physical Activity and Sleep with Depression in College Going Students. Journal of the Dow University of Health Sciences, 17(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.36570/jduhs.2023.1.1745
Alasqah, I., Alhamdan, A., Alhouri, M., & Alfehaid, M. (2023). Sociodemographic Determinants of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Immediately after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A cross-sectional Study among University Students in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health, 11(January), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1271536
Amin, S. M., Ibrahim, N. F., Nazuri, N. S., & Ahmad Suhaimi, S. S. (2024). The Relationship between Social Support and Mental Health among University Students in Klang Valley. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(8), 2520–2535. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i8/22301.
Bukhari, S. R., & Afzal, F. (2017). Perceived Social Support Predicts Psychological Problems among University Students. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 4(2), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.25215/0402.082
Catling, J., Hussain, I., & Khalil, A. (2025). Psychological and Behavioural Factors that Impact the Mental Health of University Students. Mental Illness, 2025, Article ID 4160351, 9. https://doi.org/10.1155/mij/4160351
Corbacioglu, S. K., & Aksel, G. (2023). Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Analysis in Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: A Guide to Interpreting the Area Under the Curve Value. Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(4), 195–198. https://doi.org/10.4103/tjem.tjem_182_23
Fowler, F. J. (2013). Survey research methods (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Ghosh, S. (2022). Deletion Diagnostics in Logistic Regression. Journal of Applied Statistics, 1(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.56388/as220715
Ghrouz, A. K., Noohu, M. M., Manzar, M. D., Spence, D. W., BaHammam, A. S., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2019). Physical Activity and Sleep Quality in Relation to Mental Health among College Students. Sleep and Breathing, 23(2), 627–634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-019-01780-z
Girma, S., Tsehay, M., Mamaru, A., & Abera, M. (2021). Depression and its Determinants among Adolescents in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0250927. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250927
Hassan, N. A., Abdullah, N. H., Ahmad, R., Abdul Majeed, H., & Mohd Tajuddin, J. (2023). Mental health in Malaysia: A Study of Gender Differences. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 8(12), e002608. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v8i12.2608
Herbert, C., Meixner, F., Wiebking, C., & Gilg, V. (2020). Regular Physical Activity, Short-term Exercise, Mental Health, and Well-being among University Students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00509
Islam, A., Low, W. Y., Tong, W. T., Choo, C., & Yuen, W. (2018). Factors associated with depression among university students in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study. In The 2nd International Meeting of Public Health 2016: Public Health Perspective of Sustainable Development Goals: The Challenges and Opportunities in Asia-Pacific Region (pp. 415–427). KnE Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/kls.v4i4.2302
Jie, K. Y., Mohamad, N., Mohd Adnan, M., Mohd Nor, N. A., Abdul Hamid, N. F., & Abdullah, Z. (2024). Factors Associated with Poor Sleep Quality among Dental Students in Malaysia. PeerJ, 12. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17522
Mengesha, A. K., Misker, M. F., & Tadesse, S. A. (2025). Identifying Factors Contributing to Depression and Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99177-4
Mwita, S., Ouma, M., Edwin, W., Katabalo, D., & Marwa, K. (2025). Prevalence, Symptoms, and Associated Risk Factors for Depression among Undergraduate Students of Non-Medical Universities in Mwanza, Tanzania. Journal Diseases. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202506.0328.v1
Ong, S. C., Azman, N., & Ho, H. T. (2023). Factors Associated with Sleeping Quality and Behaviors among University Students in Malaysia. Sleep Medicine Research, 14(1), 43– 49. https://doi.org/10.17241/smr.2022.01536
Ou, J., Wang, K., Zuo, M., Chen, D., & Luo, H. (2025). Factors Influencing the Mental Health of First-Year College Students: Evidence from Digital Records of Daily Behaviors. Behavioral Sciences, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050618
Petrovic, N., Zunic, M., Pejcic, A., Milosavljevic, M., & Jankovic, S. (2023). Factors Associated with Gastrointestinal Dysmotility in Critically Ill Patients. Open Medicine, 18, http://doi.org/10.1515/med-2023-0820
Robles-Rivera, K., Limón-Rojas, A. E., Wakida-Kuzunoki, G. H., Moreno-Altamirano, L., Vázquez-Rivera, M., Romero-Romero, E., Rojas-Hernández, M. T., & Morales-Carmona, R. O. (2025). Factors Associated with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Mexican Medical Students. Journal of Current Psychology, 44(10), 9252–9264. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07742-x
Roldán-Espínola, L., Riera-Serra, P., Roca, M., García-Toro, M., Coronado-Simsic, V., Castro, A., Navarra-Ventura, G., Vilagut, G., Alayo, I., Ballester, L., Blasco, M. J., Almenara, J., Cebrià, A. I., Echeburúa, E., Gabilondo, A., Lagares, C., Piqueras, J. A., Soto-Sanz, V., Mortier, P., Kessler, R. C., Alonso, J., Forteza-Rey, I., & Gili, M. (2024). Depression and Lifestyle among University Students: A One-year Follow-up Study. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 38(3), 100250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpsy.2024.100250
Said, A. H., Yusof, M. Z., Azmi, M. A. N. H., Mohd Hanapiah, H., & Abdullah, A. W. (2020). Poor Sleep Quality among Medical Students in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and its Association with Mental Health and Other Factors. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 19(2), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v19i2.1564
Sangra, R. A., & Codina, A. F. (2015). The Identification, Impact and Management of Missing Values and Outlier Data in Nutritional Epidemiology. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 31, 189-195. https://doi.org/10.3305/nh.2015. 31.sup3.8766
Shimamoto, H., Suwa, M., & Mizuno, K. (2021). Relationships between Depression, Daily Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Daytime Sleepiness among Japanese University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158036
Sigudla, J., & Maritz, J. E. (2023). Exploratory Factor Analysis of Constructs Used for Investigating Research Uptake for Public Healthcare Practice and Policy in a Resource-Limited Setting, South Africa. BMC Health Services Research, 23, 1423. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10165-8
Talwar, P., Kumaraswamy, N., & Ar, M. F. (2013). Perceived Social Support, Stress, and Gender Differences among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 22(2), 42–49.
Umegaki, Y., & Todo. Psychometric properties of the Japanese CES–D, SDS, and PHQ–9 depression scales in university students. Psychological Assessment, 29(3), 354–359. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000351
Wang, Y., Guang, Z., Zhang, J., Han, L., Zhang, R., Chen, Y., Chen, Q., Liu, Z., Gao, Y., Wu, R., & Wang, S. (2023). Effect of Sleep Quality on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among College Students in China’s Xizang Region: The Mediating Effect of Cognitive Emotion Regulation. Behavioral Sciences, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100861.
Wanjau, M.N., Moller, H., Haigh, F., Milat, A., Hayek, R., Lucas, P., & Veerman, J.L. (2023). Physical Activity and Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review. AJPM Focus, 2(2).
Weiss, B. A., & Dardick, W. (2016). An Entropy-based Measure for Assessing Fuzziness in Logistic Regression. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 76(6), 986–1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164415623820
Wong, S. S., Wong, C. C., Ng, K. W., Bostanudin, M. F., & Tan, S. F. (2023). Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among University Students in Selangor, Malaysia During COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Associated Factors. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280680
Wong, M. Y. C., Chung, P. K., & Leung, K. M. (2021). The Relationship between Physical Activity and Self-compassion: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 12(3), 547–563. http://10.1007/s12671-020-01513-4
World Health Organization. (2024, September 20). Strengthening Minds: Malaysia Strengthens Efforts to Enhance the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents.
https://www.who.int/westernpacific/newsroom/feature-stories/item/strengthening
World Health Organization. (2025, August 29). Depressive Disorder (Depression). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
Yang, Y., Zhang, Z., Liu, J., & Cao, H. (2023). Interactive Effects of Sleep and Physical Activity on Depression among Rural University Students in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1240856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240856
Yap, S. Y., Foo, C. N., Lim, Y. M., Ng, F. L., & Pheh, K. S. (2021). Prevalence of Depression and its Associated Risk Factors among University Students in Malaysia: A Pilot Study. The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Environmental Research and Public Health, 9005. https://doi.org/10.3390/ECERPH-3-09005
Zainab, T., & Zafar, A. (2019). Poor Academic Performance as Predictor of Depression among University Students. International Journal of Latest Research in Humanities and Social Science, 2(10), 1–5.
Zulkafli, N. S., Ali, N. F., & Raduan, N. J. N. (2022). The association between years of study with depression among university students in Borneo, Malaysia. 23(10). https://doi.org/10.54615/2231-7805.47285
