Studies has consistently demonstrated that major depressive episode in patients compared torncontrols is preceded by major life event stressors. Beck postulated that maladaptive cognitivernstyles when triggered by stressful life events leads to depression. Self esteem is also arnvulnerability factor to depression. Self esteem deficits are thought to play a Role in vulnerabilityrnto depression. thus the present study objective was investigating how prevalent depression is inrnuniversity students and examining the main effects and interaction effects of self esteemrn,dysfunctional attitudes, life event stressors, and gender on depressive symptoms amongrnuniversity students (N = 308). cross sectional research design was utilized to met the researchrnobjectives. Prevalence rate of 31.8% was found among AAU students. Regression analysis hasrnshown that dysfunctional attitudes, self esteem, life stressors and gender had a unique significantrncontribution to the variability of depression and the regression model that included thesernvariables was significant predictor of depression. The above mentioned variables were tested forrntheir interactive effects on depression. Interaction of life stressors and dysfunctional attitudes,rnand life stressors and gender were not significant predictors of depression. However Interactionrnof self esteem and dysfunctional attitudes were significant predictors of depression. These resultsrnsuggest that self esteem, dysfunctional attitudes, gender and life stressors have relationship withrndepression and might be vulnerability factors to depression. Dysfunctional attitudes and selfrnesteem in combination predicts depression above and beyond the independent effect each havernon depression.