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Table 1 Prevalence rates, age of onset, and proportional persistence of common mental disorders among first year university students in South Africa (n = 1402)

From: Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of common mental disorders among first-year university students in post-apartheid South Africa: implications for a public mental health approach to student wellness

 

Lifetime Prevalence % (95% CI)

12-month Prevalence % (95% CI)

12-month Prevalence among lifetime Cases % (95%CI)

Age of Onset Median (95%CI) [IQR]

Proportional Persistence Median % (95%CI) [IQR]

Major depressive disorder

24.7% (22.4–27.0)

13.6% (11.9–15.5)

54.9% (49.5–60.2)

15

(15–16)

[13–17]

66.7%

(66.7–75.0)

[33.0–89.1]

Generalised anxiety disorder

22.6% (20.4–24.9)

20.8% (18.7–23.0)

91.8% (88.2–94.6)

16

(15–16)

[13–17]

80.0%

(75.0–83.0)

[60.0–100.0]

Bipolar spectrum disorder

1.2% (0.7–1.9)

1.0% (0.5–1.7)

81.3% (54.4–96.0)

16

(14–18)

[14–18]

89.0%

(67.0–100.0)

[67.0–100.0]

Alcohol use disorder

6.1% (4.9–7.5)

5.6% (4.5–6.9)

86.% (73.7–94.3)

15

(15–16)

[14–16]

75.0%

(75.0–89.0)

[67.0–100.0]

Substance use disorder

4.8% (3.7–6.1)

3.1% (2.3–4.2)

64.2% (51.5–75.5)

16

(16–18)

[15–18]

67.0%

(50.0–88.0)

[40.0–100.0]

  1. 95%CI 95% confidence interval
  2. IQR interquartile range
  3. Proportional persistence of mental disorder is defined as the percentage of lifetime years with mental disorder symptoms from age of onset to age at the completion of the survey
  4. The confidence interval for medians was constructed without any distribution assumptions. The actual coverage level may thus be greater than the specified level