High Prevalence of Affective Disorders among Adolescents Living in Rural Zimbabwe

Household poverty was independently associated with nearly double the odds of being at risk of affective disorders among rural Zimbabwean youth, after adjusting for age, gender, education, marital sta

Effect: decline; AOR 1.9; CI: 95%CI:1.4-2.7

Feeling shunned by others was the strongest independent predictor of being at risk of affective disorders among rural Zimbabwean youth, with nearly four-fold increased odds after adjustment.

Effect: decline; AOR 3.7; CI: 95%CI:2.5-5.7

Having moved from one household to another at least once in the previous 5 years was independently associated with increased risk of affective disorders among rural Zimbabwean youth.

Effect: decline; AOR 1.4; CI: 95%CI:1.0-1.9

Adolescents at risk of severe affective disorders were nearly three times as likely to report ever having sex as those not at risk, with a strong linear dose-response between severity of affective dis

Effect: decline; AOR 2.8; CI: 95%CI:1.9-4.2

Being at risk of affective disorders was not significantly associated with HIV infection in this cohort of school students, where HIV prevalence was low (2.2% in women, 0.4% in men).

Effect: null

Orphanhood was not directly associated with risk of affective disorders, suggesting that downstream consequences of orphanhood (household moves, poverty, stigma) rather than orphanhood per se drive po

Effect: null