The report states that in 2021 a meta-analytic study found a depression prevalence of 39% in a sample of 706,415 university students. This is regional or national context, not Lima Norte-specific, but it provides a benchmark for comparison with local studies.

The objective of the study was to determine the level of depression in nursing students of a private university in Lima Norte, Peru. In figure 1, according to the level of depression, it is observed that 11.4% (n=7) show absence of depression, 68.8% (n=42) mild depression, 14.7% (n=9) moderate depression and 4.9% (n=3) severe depression. The authors conclude: "The students of the professional nursing career of a Private University of Lima Norte mostly present a mild degree of depression, followed by moderate and severe depression."

In 2018 a 13.5% prevalence of depression was reported in Peruvian university students before the COVID-19 pandemic, and during the pandemic a study using DASS-21 found that 66.0% of university students in Peru, between 18 to 32 years old, had depression, while in provinces, a prevalence of 47.0% has been reported. The authors conclude that during the COVID-19 pandemic, most university students in Lima present depressive symptoms, regardless of sex, socioeconomic status, working in addition to studying, living with family, and consuming alcohol and drugs. The article does not provide separate estimates for Lima Norte versus other zones of Lima, but distinguishes Lima (capital) from ‘provinces’.

A total of 261 university students were included; 57.1% (n=149) presented depressive symptoms, of them 56.4% (n=84) had mild depression, 36.9% (n=55) moderate, and 6.7% (n=10) severe. The authors state: "It was found that 57.1% of the participants presented depression, which is significantly higher than before the pandemic, considering that in 2018 a prevalence of depression of 13.5% was reported among Peruvian university students." They further note: "During the COVID-19 pandemic, most university students in Lima presented depressive symptoms, regardless of sex, socioeconomic level, working while studying, living with family, and consuming alcohol and drugs."

This cross-sectional study investigated depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms in Peruvian medical students from different regions of the country. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 71.6% (95% CI: 66.94–75.95). The sample included students from universities in Lima, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, and San Martín, but the paper reports prevalence and associated factors for the total sample and by individual-level factors (e.g., sex, physical activity, eating disorder), without disaggregating depressive prevalence by specific intra‑city areas such as Lima Norte versus other parts of Lima. Thus, no intra‑Lima geographic comparison (e.g., Lima Norte vs Lima Metropolitana) is provided.

This cross-sectional study determined depression and anxiety prevalence and their associated factors in students from four medical schools in northern Peru (region of Lambayeque). Of 482 students, the prevalence of anxiety was 61.8% and depression was 22.0%. The authors note that almost one out of five students experienced depression in universities from Lambayeque and compare this to previous Peruvian data reporting 13.5% prevalence of some degree of depression in university students in 2018. The study focuses on regional (northern Peru) and institutional (private vs public) differences and does not include or compare university students from Lima Norte or other zones within Lima city.

Objective: To determine the point prevalence of depression in 5th year medical students of a private university in Lima. Results: 4.7% of the students had DPS scores > 26.5. Scores for the CES-D were > 23.5 in 8.6% and > 15.5 in 19% of students. The prevalence of probable major depression was 8.6% according to the CES-D and 4.7% according to the EPD. The authors conclude: "The prevalence of depression obtained in our study is similar to that of the general population."

This PLOS ONE article evaluated dietary patterns and their association with mental health among Peruvian medical students from several universities. Depression had a prevalence of 45.1%, being more frequent among students with unhealthy dietary patterns (71.9%). The authors state that among Peruvian medical students, a high prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was observed, along with unhealthy dietary habits. The study reports overall prevalence and associations but does not break down depression by specific urban sub‑regions within Lima; no separate statistics are given for Lima Norte or for comparisons between different parts of Lima.

Title: Levels of depression and anxiety in university students of metropolitan Lima. "In this research we present the level of anxiety and depression in university students of the UNMSM. The representative sample was formed by 500 university students of UNMSM, distributed by gender and academic block. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was evaluated using the HADS scale." The article reports levels of depression and anxiety among students from different academic areas in Lima Metropolitana but does not distinguish specific sub-regions such as Lima Norte.

"Regarding the results, it was possible to show that there is a very high presence of indicators of depression (15%); while there is a high presence of indicators of depression (51.2%) and a moderate presence of indicators of depression (33.8%) in university students in general." "It was concluded that there is a high and very high presence of indicators of depression in both men and women, whose common denominator is belonging to the psychology career."

This institutional repository record describes a study of Peruvian university students where 19.2% presented depression, 23.2% anxiety, and 17.2% stress. The abstract notes that the frequency of depression, anxiety, and stress was lower in women. While the study includes students from Lima among other regions, the available description does not provide separate prevalence estimates for specific sub‑areas of Lima such as Lima Norte, nor does it compare Lima Norte with other parts of the capital.

"The high frequency of anxiety and depression in university students is related to social and family factors and academic stress." "47.1% of the students suffered anxiety disorders and 55.6% depression. The Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (EADG) used in this study detected that 65.9% of the university students interviewed probably suffer from an anxiety and/or depression disorder." The authors note that the frequency of depressive disorders depends on the academic department, with higher frequencies in certain faculties, but this study is from a Spanish university and does not address regional differences within Lima, Peru.

This university repository entry corresponds to the Lambayeque medical students study. It reports that of 482 students, the prevalence of anxiety was 61.8% and depression was 22.0%. The study took place among medical students from four universities in northern Peru (Lambayeque), highlighting that private university students had higher frequencies of depression (PR = 2.01). The description focuses on north‑Peru regional and institutional factors and does not involve intra‑Lima comparisons such as Lima Norte versus other Lima sectors.

In the study "Niveles de ansiedad, estrés y depresión en estudiantes de psicología de Lima Metropolitana", 919 psychology students from Lima Metropolitana participated. For depression, 54.7% presented normal levels, 22.7% moderate, and 5.1% severe. The authors conclude that there is a considerable prevalence of symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression in psychology students, especially among younger students. The abstract mentions that participants were from Lima Metropolitana but does not break down results by specific subareas such as Lima Norte versus other zones.

This thesis from Universidad de Lima analyzes the impact of anxiety and depression on academic performance among university students. It reports that "32.4% of the participating students presented high scores for prevalence of major depressive disorder" and describes associations between depressive symptoms and lower academic performance. The work focuses on students of a private university in Lima but does not specify sub-regions such as Lima Norte or compare them with other parts of Lima.

In the article "COVID-19 depression in university students living in a vulnerable sector", carried out in Lima Norte, the authors report that 64.5% (n=13) of participants have normal depression scores, 30.5% (n=10) are slightly depressed and 5% (n=7) are depressed. Another section reports that among male participants, 30% (n=7) are slightly depressed and 5% (n=2) are depressed; among females, 33% (n=4) have normal scores, 66.1% (n=6) are slightly depressed and 0.9% (n=1) are depressed. The study focuses on university students living in a vulnerable sector of Lima Norte but does not include a comparative control group from other parts of Lima.

This PDF appears to present descriptive statistics on anxiety in students of Universidad César Vallejo, Lima Norte campus. The document lists variables such as "Sex: 1 male, 2 female" and "Occupation: 1 only studies" for "students of the Universidad César [Vallejo] of the Lima Norte campus" and analyzes levels of anxiety. Although focused on anxiety rather than depression, it shows that mental health problems are being measured specifically in a university population of Lima Norte, but it does not provide comparative prevalence with other areas of Lima.

A WHO‑affiliated multicenter survey carried out in 2018 among 13,984 university students in eight countries found that 35% of students had ‘significant symptoms of depression’ using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‑9). This global result is frequently cited as context for high depression rates among university populations worldwide, including in Peru, but it does not provide specific intra‑city data for Lima, nor distinctions between Lima Norte and other parts of Lima.

Multiple Peruvian and Latin American studies report high prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students, often in the range of 30–60% depending on the instrument and cutoff used. However, these studies typically sample single universities or metropolitan-wide populations and rarely compare sub-regions such as Lima Norte versus other zones of Lima in a standardized way. To date, there is no widely cited epidemiological study that directly contrasts depression prevalence in university students of Lima Norte with those in other parts of Lima with comparable methodology.

"Several studies indicate that the frequency of depressive episodes is higher in the student population than in the general population, and that in this first group, anxiety disorders are also more frequent." This article reiterates that university students show higher levels of depression and anxiety compared with general population baselines, but refers broadly to "students" and does not break down prevalence by geographic sub-areas within Lima, Peru.

A study of adolescents in a Lima educational institution reported that 36.48% of students had symptoms of both anxiety and depression. The most frequent type of family functioning was in the mid-extreme range (73.03%). Although not limited to university students, this research shows a substantial burden of depressive symptoms in youth populations in Lima but does not compare subregions like Lima Norte with other parts of the city.