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Abstract

Background: Depression in undergraduate students is a serious problem, with adverse impacts on academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and mental health. Socioeconomic status (SES) plays a critical role as a determinant of mental health, stress, and opportunities. The meta-analysis examines how SES influences depression, as well as regional and gender differences.
Objectives: This study explores the relationship between SES and depression in undergraduate students, ascertain the effect of regional variation on depression severity, investigate differences by gender, and analyze the interaction effect of SES, region, and gender on depression.
Methods: A region- and gender-stratified cross-sectional survey of 800 undergraduate students across various colleges of Uttar Pradesh was done. A Socio-Economic Status Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and an Adjustment Inventory were used to collect data. Pearson correlation, t-tests, and multiple regression tests were used to analyze the data statistically in order to find the associations between variables.
Results: The results show a negative relationship between SES and depression, where students with lower SES have higher levels of depression. Urban students showed lower depression than rural students, indicating improved access to mental health care. There were gender differences, where female students showed higher depression scores than male students. Multiple regression analysis indicated that SES, region, and gender all contribute to depression, but regional differences are the most predictive.