Abstract
This study examined the impact of depression on academic performance among undergraduate students of University Benin, Benin City. In an effort to determine this, four research questions were raised to guide the study.
The scope of the study was limited to only final year students of Department of Social Work, Political science and Sociology and Anthropology. Using a stratified random sampling technique for selection of the respondents, two hundred (200) students were sampled. The data was collected using well-structured questionnaires, the copies of the questionnaire were administered, collected and analyzed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in describing Impact of depression on academic performance among undergraduate students of university of Benin.
The findings of the study revealed that there is high prevalence of depression among undergraduate students of the University of Benin, Benin City. It also revealed that there are various factors Such as academic stress, pressure, lack of social support system, financial difficulties among others are the contributing factors to depression among undergraduate students of the University of Benin, which in turn affect their academic performance negatively. Thus, it was concluded that there is a concerning prevalence of depression among undergraduate students in universities. The lack of adequate support and resources provided by the universities for students struggling with depression has a significant impact on their academic performance. It is therefore recommended that Universities increase awareness and the need to enhance the support services available to students struggling with depression.
