Symptoms of depression among polish students: prevalence and links with lifestyle, social factors, and screen time

The dataset contains the complete results of a survey conducted in 2018 among 1,008 students from public universities in Poland. The sampling ensured equal representation by gender (510 women, 498 men) as well as equal numbers of participants across three fields of study: medical/health sciences, humanities/social sciences, and technical sciences.

Data structure

The repository includes files with complete questionnaire responses (no missing data, ensured by a specialized research agency). The files contain:

1. Sociodemographic variables – gender, age, field of study, level of study, year of study, self-assessed financial situation.
2. Beck Depression Inventory I (BDI-I) – raw scores (0–63 points) with categorical interpretation of depression severity.
3. Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI) by Juczyński – overall score and subscales: healthy eating habits, preventive behaviours, positive mental attitude, health practices.
4. De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) – loneliness scale (11 items, total score).
5. Questionnaire on social activity and screen time – data on extracurricular activities (employment, volunteering, family caregiving, student organizations) and the average number of hours spent online on weekdays and weekends.

Data collection methods

The study was cross-sectional, and paper questionnaires were completed in lecture halls after classes, following a standardized protocol and with informed consent from participants. The data were anonymized and entered into the database without missing values.

Instruments

• Standardized questionnaires: BDI-I, HBI, DJGLS.
• Custom questionnaires: sociodemographic and social activity/screen time.

Uniqueness and potential for reuse

• A representative sample balanced by gender and field of study (a rarity in this type of research).
• A comprehensive approach to lifestyle-related factors: health, social activity, loneliness, and screen time.
• Potential for comparative studies (e.g., trend analysis, comparison with other student populations, international comparisons).
• Use of standardized tools allows integration of results in meta-analyses and multi-center studies.

Study context

The data were collected to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among students in Poland and to examine their associations with sociodemographic factors, healthy lifestyle, social activity, loneliness, and time spent online. The findings showed, among others, that 28.6% of students reported at least mild depressive symptoms, and engagement in prosocial activities was associated with lower BDI-I scores.