Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Industrial and Managements Systems Engineering

Committee Chair

Avishek Choudhury

Committee Member

Zeyu Liu

Committee Member

Imtiaz Ahmed

Abstract

Feasibility Testing of a Web-Based PHQ-9 Test for Student Depression

Israel Odugboye

Student depression stands as a critical public health issue because it affects numerous young adults who experience academic decline, disability, absenteeism, productivity reduction, and suicidal thoughts. The general population shows a 10% to 15% lifetime risk of developing depression which leads to a twentyfold elevation in suicide risk for depressed individuals [3]. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) serves as a popular tool for detecting depressive symptoms and determining severity levels among students from different cultural backgrounds. The assessment contains 27 possible scores which follow DSM depressive symptom criteria through its 0-to-3-point rating system for each item. The PHQ-9 shows excellent reliability and validity according to research evidence which makes it a popular tool for clinical practice and scientific studies [5]. The study assesses how university students find the web-based PHQ-9 delivery method compared to traditional paper form through three feasibility assessment areas which include usability and acceptance and satisfaction. The research design consists of a single-group pre–post assessment where students first fill out the manual PHQ-9 and baseline surveys before using the web-based PHQ-9 application built with Next.js and FastAPI to complete the same instruments with app-specific instructions. The SUS tool assesses usability while the TAM subscales evaluate acceptance through perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, and behavioral intention.

The study uses an adapted version of the PSQ-18 to measure participant satisfaction. The research analyzes participant results between web and paper versions through difference score calculations (post minus pre survey) and Shapiro–Wilk normality tests followed by appropriate statistical tests between paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The research design followed PRISMA guidelines to select assessment tools and determine which feasibility metrics to focus on. The web-based PHQ-9 achieved equivalent results to the paper version in usability and acceptance and satisfaction according to the pilot study results (N = 20) which showed no statistically significant differences.

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