Risk and protective factors associated with depressive symptoms among school-going adolescents in Malaysia: a cross‑sectional study

Depressive symptoms is a significant issue among Malaysian school-going adolescents, with a prevalence rate of one in four (26.9%). Female adolescents and older students were found to have significantly higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms, while adolescents of Chinese and Indian ethnicity were less likely to be affected. Other notable correlates included parental separation or widowhood, loneliness, lack of close friends, difficulty sleeping due to worry, bullying, truancy, and poor parental bonding and connectedness. Thus, it is crucial to develop targeted prevention and intervention programs for at-risk adolescents to enhance their mental health and well-being. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that.