Life Skills As Predictors Of Depression Among Youth

Youth is a critical phase of life characterised by rapid physical, psychological, and social changes, including educational transitions, the development of peer relationships, and increased responsibility in decision-making ⁽¹⁾. During this period, stress and depression are highly correlated with other behavioural risk factors, including substance use and unhealthy lifestyles ⁽²⁾.

Depression is a leading cause of disability and disease burden among youth worldwide, affecting an estimated 121 million individuals globally ⁽²⁾. Among young people aged 15–29 years, depression is one of the most common mental disorders, with approximately 50% of adult mental disorders manifesting during adolescence ⁽¹⁾. Depression during youth is associated with significant impairments in academic functioning, social relationships, and overall quality of life, and substantially increases the risk of persistent mental health difficulties in adulthood ⁽³⁾. Of particular concern, in low- and middle-income countries such as India, only 1 in 27 people with depressive disorders receive effective treatment ⁽⁴⁾.

The World Health Organisation has promoted life skills education as an evidence-based approach to enhance young people's resilience to stressors and promote social and emotional development ⁽²⁾. Life skills are defined as psychosocial and interpersonal abilities that help youth make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and develop coping and self-management skills ⁽¹⁾.

Given the high prevalence of depression among Indian youth and the established effectiveness of life skills training, there is a pressing need for context-specific intervention studies. The present study aims to assess depression among youth in Mysuru and to check the relationship of life skills.

METHODOLOGY:

RESEARCH DESIGN

In the present study, a cross-sectional survey design was used to examine the prevalence of depression among college students and the relation between life skills. To facilitate systematic measurement and statistical analysis in a large sample. A quantitative approach was adopted. Approval from the University Ethics Committee was obtained to conduct the study.

PARTICIPANTS

This study was conducted in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. The sample consisted of 1,520 individuals aged 18 to 24 years, recruited through convenience sampling from educational institutions in the region. Convenience sampling was selected because the target population was readily accessible within institutional settings and because recruiting a sufficiently large sample within a limited timeframe was necessary. Participants within the specified age range who provided informed consent were included. Individuals with a previously diagnosed psychiatric condition were excluded to ensure that the measures captured subclinical variation in depression and life skills rather than clinical pathology.

MEASURES

The Life Skills Scale assesses adolescents aged 13 to 18 using 150 statements rated on a five-point Likert scale. These statements cover 10 core life skills, with 149 positive items and 1 negative item. The scale can be given individually or in groups, and there are no right or wrong answers—respondents simply rate their agreement. Scoring assigns 5 points for strongly agree on positive items and 1 point for strongly agree on the single negative item. Each core skill is measured by summing its 15 items. The total score ranges from 150 to 750, with higher scores reflecting stronger life skills, interpreted using normative data.

The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 42 Items (DASS-42) measures depression, anxiety, and stress in three self-report scales of 14 items each. Depression covers mood and motivation; anxiety assesses physical and emotional symptoms; stress measures chronic arousal and irritability. Scores are summed for each scale, reflecting degrees of emotional distress rather than categories. The DASS distinguishes between normative and clinical groups mainly by severity ⁽⁵⁾.

DATA ANALYSIS

Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 21). Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and ranges, were computed for all variables. The one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test was used to assess normality. Because all variables deviated significantly from normality (p < 0.001), nonparametric tests were employed for group comparisons. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to examine differences in life skill scores across the five DASS-42 depression categories, followed by pairwise Mann-Whitney U post-hoc tests with Bonferroni correction (adjusted α = 0.005) to identify specific group differences. Pearson correlation coefficients with bootstrap confidence intervals (1,000 samples, 95% CI, percentile method) were computed to examine bivariate relationships between life skills and depression. Finally, a standard multiple linear regression analysis (enter method) with bootstrap estimates was conducted to identify significant predictors of depression from among the ten life skills.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Fig 1: Level of Depression among youth

A standard multiple linear regression (enter method) was conducted to examine the collective and individual predictive contributions of the ten WHO life skills on depression. Bootstrap estimates (1,000 samples) were used to ensure robustness of the coefficients. The overall model was statistically significant (F (10, 1509) = 22.473, p < 0.001), with the ten life skills collectively accounting for 13.0% of the variance in depression (R² = 0.130, Adjusted R² = 0.124).

As shown in Table 6, five predictors were statistically significant. Interpersonal Relationship was the strongest predictor (β = -0.350, B = -0.333, SE = 0.057, p < 0.001; Bootstrap 95% CI [-0.447, -0.208]), indicating that lower interpersonal skills were associated with higher depression. Coping with Emotion was the second strongest predictor (β = -0.198, B = -0.172, SE = 0.047, p < 0.001; Bootstrap 95% CI [-0.272, -0.079]). Effective Communication showed a positive and significant coefficient (β = 0.155, B = 0.142, SE = 0.039, p < 0.001; Bootstrap 95% CI [0.072, 0.218]); this counterintuitive direction is likely attributable to multicollinearity, as Effective Communication is strongly intercorrelated with other life skills (r = 0.56–0.77). Creative Thinking (β = -0.152, B = -0.130, SE = 0.037, p = 0.001) and Decision Making (β = -0.103, B = -0.107, SE = 0.040, p = 0.007) were also significant predictors. The remaining five predictors — Self-Awareness, Coping with Stress, Problem Solving, Empathy, and Critical Thinking — did not reach significance in the regression model (p > 0.05), despite significant bivariate correlations with depression (Table 4), consistent with multicollinearity among the life skill predictors.

WHO‑core life skills—critical thinking, creative thinking, coping with emotions and stress, self‑awareness, empathy, decision‑making, problem solving, communication, interpersonal relations—are repeatedly highlighted as central (1,13).  Concept analysis work distils four attributes as especially important for youth health: decision‑making, effective communication, stress management, and problem solving, linked to reduced risky behaviour, better resilience and lower anxiety/depression (10).

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that a substantial proportion of participants exhibited clinically significant levels of depression, highlighting a considerable mental health burden within this youth population.

A consistent decline in life skill scores was observed as depression severity increased, with the Normal group achieving the highest scores and the Extremely Severe group the lowest across all ten life skill domains. Significant differences in life skills were identified across depression categories, with the most pronounced contrasts occurring between the lowest and highest severity groups. All ten life skills showed significant negative correlations with depression, and several life skills, particularly Interpersonal Relationship and Coping with Emotion, emerged as significant predictors of depressive symptoms.

Collectively, these findings confirm that life skills are significantly and inversely associated with depression among youth. Strengthening specific psychosocial competencies may represent an effective strategy for promoting mental health within this population.

Future research should consider longitudinal designs to clarify the directionality and causal relationship between life skills and depression. Experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of structured life skills training programs in reducing depression among youth would provide stronger evidence to inform intervention planning.

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