earticle

영어

Purpose: Adolescents are vulnerable to depression; however, many health policies for adolescents tend to target students in schools. This study aims to identify factors related to depression according to gender among adolescents who have ceased attending school either temporarily or permanently. Methods: The data were generated from the 5th Dropout Youth Panel Survey (2017), and this study included 318 students in the survey that had dropped out of school. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple linear regression to identify related factors in depression among the participants. The analyses were performed by SPSS 25.0 program. Results: The depression scores of the students who had ceased attending school were: 20.28±5.47 for boys; 21.23±5.88 for girls. Their depression scores are significantly associated with self-esteem (p<.001 for boys; p=.001 for girls) and social stigma (p=.002 for boys; p=.002 for girls). Among those, peer attachment (p=.050), community integration (p=.004), and community disorder (p<.001) were significantly associated with depression only in boys. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that strategies for managing depression in adolescents who have dropped out of school should address the differences in contributing factors according to gender. This study also suggests a basis for approaching such a strategy.