4968 - A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Session: D06S026 - Gender and Sexual Identity
AUTHORS:
Kimong Patricia Joseph (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Ayub Norzihan (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Halik Murnizam Hj. (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Erford Bradley T. (Department of Human and Organization Development, Peabody College of Education and Human Department, Vanderbilt University,Peabody) , Cosmas Getrude (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Matshah Norlizah (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Ismail Mohd Sobri (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA) , Idang Jusiah (Faculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA)
Abstract text:
University students often exposed to various events such as development transitions, academic
burden, and interpersonal challenges that may increase their vulnerability to depressive
symptoms. This study employed a quantitative survey design to examine gender differences in
depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students using the Malay version of the
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (MCESD-R). A total of 319
participants from the general population completed the self-report instrument. The Malay
MCESD-R demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of .941.
Descriptive results indicated that females reported higher mean depressive symptom scores (M
= 17.96, SD = 14.56) than males (M = 15.20, SD = 12.95). However, an independent samples
t-test revealed that the gender difference was not statistically significant, t(318) = −1.56, p =
.119. Effect size analysis using Cohen's d (−0.20) indicated a small and practically negligible
difference between genders. Overall, the findings suggest minimal gender-related variation in
depressive symptoms within this Malaysian sample. Additionally, the results further support
the Malay CESD-R as a reliable screening tool for assessing depressive symptoms across
diverse population groups in Malaysia.