Reactive Depression Following Psychological Distress among Iraqi Students

Background: The world is now experiencing many crises and adversities of great impact that pose serious threats to both physical and mental health. Threats to mental health include major depressive disorder, which can be severe and disabling. The current study aimed to identify the prevalence of one type of depressive disorder, reactive depression (RD), and its relationship to demographic and psychological variables. Methods: For this study, RD is defined as an abnormal emotional response to traumatic situations involving mood difficulties. This study created an online self-report reactive depression questionnaire consisting of 23 items distributed across three subscales: 1) bad feelings and life attitudes, 2) loss of hope and loneliness, and 3) feeling sad and loss of confidence. The questionnaire was administered to a volunteer sample of 362 male and female Iraqi university students. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), t-tests, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to investigate exploratory and confirmatory factor structures of the questionnaire. Results: Evidence of reactive depression was found in 18.2% of the students. Female students had significantly higher levels of reactive depression than males (female N = 205, mean = 85.00, SD = 11.30; male N = 157, mean = 76.46, SD = 11.51). The high levels of reactive depression identified in these students demonstrate the value of assessing reactive depression in university students. Conclusion: The study underscores that the loss of emotional and psychological security, particularly in the face of traumatic and permanent events such as the death of a loved one, may contribute to the onset and progression of depressive symptoms. Future research should explore the role of specific cultural factors and further validate the reactive depression questionnaire in broader populations. Additionally, there is a need for improved mental health support in Iraqi universities, particularly for female students, who may face unique challenges.