Frequency of depression and correlates among Chinese children and adolescents living in poor areas under the background of targeted poverty alleviation: results of a survey in Weining County

Background: There is a lack of epidemiological data on depressive morbidity in children and adolescents in rural China. This study determines the frequency and correlates of depression among children and adolescents to offer useful insights for family education and government policy-making in rural China. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between April 20 to May 10, 2022. Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the correlative factors of depression were analyzed. Results In this study, 23180 children and adolescents were enrolled (median (range) age: 12 (9–18) years); of them, 8,261 (35.6%) suffered from depression with a CES-D score of > 15. The onset of depression was significantly related to age, grade, gender, parental absence, attending key schools or classes, presence of moderate or severe internet addiction (IA), school record, social relationships, parental occupation, and education status. Furthermore, female gender (OR = 1.175; 95% CI: 1.108–1.247; p < 0.001), junior middle school (OR = 1.487; 95% CI: 1.380–1.601; p < 0.001), parental absence (OR = 1.272; 95% CI: 1.183–1.367; p < 0.001), attending key schools (OR = 1.221; 95% CI: 1.120–1.332; p < 0.001), attending key classes (OR = 1.099; 95% CI: 1.001–1.207; p = 0.048), and presence of moderate or above IA (OR = 13.593; 95% CI: 12.028–15.361; p < 0.001) were the most prominent independent factors for depression. Conclusion Depression is very common among Chinese children and adolescents living in poor areas of Weining County. Older age, higher school grade, female gender, parental absence, attending key schools or classes, and the presence of moderate to severe IA are some important factors that may dictate the occurrence of depression in these children and adolescents.