Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Rural South Indian Women-Prevalence and Correlates: A Community-Based Study

The prevalence of depression, determinants, and linkage with functional disability amongst postmenopausal women in India: Evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India

BACKGROUND

The study objective was estimating the prevalence and determinants of depression amongst postmenopausal women in India. Additionally, we used panel mediation analysis to model the extent to which multimorbidity was associated with depression after adjusting for the effects of functional disability in the participants.

METHODS

Data from 28,160 women aged 50 and above from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) Wave 1 were analyzed. Depression was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (CIDI-SF), with multimorbidity and functional disability (ADL and IADL) considered as key predictor variables. Logistic regression and Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) mediation analysis were employed.

RESULTS

The weighted prevalence of depression among women aged ≥ 50 years was 21.76% (95% CI: 20.81, 22.73), significantly higher women aged < 50 years (17.60%, 95% CI: 16.33, 18.94). Factors independently associated with increased odds of depression included being unmarried, rural residence, and multimorbidity, while higher educational status was associated with lower odds of depression. The relationship between multimorbidity and depression was partially mediated by ADL and IADL disabilities. Notable regional (state) variations in the magnitude of depression were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly one in five postmenopausal women in India aged 50 years and older have clinical depression. Community screening for reaching the unreached with primary care mental health strengthening need enhanced policy focus.

Mental health resources, barriers, and intervention needs among women in rural Maharashtra, India: A qualitative study

This research paper focuses on the mental health needs, the need for mental health interventions and barriers in mental healthcare of women living in rural Maharashtra, India. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study has collected data from a sample of women living in the rural areas of Maharashtra through in-depth interviews. The data collected has been analyzed to identify the barriers and obstacles in mental healthcare, how the existing community support serves as a resource as well as the desire for potential mental healthcare interventions among participants. The findings of the study are expected to contribute to the development of effective mental health interventions tailored to the specific needs of women living in the rural areas of Maharashtra. Overall, this research paper aims to improve the understanding of the mental health needs of women in rural Maharashtra and provide insights for policymakers and mental health practitioners to develop effective interventions to promote their mental well-being.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life of Afghan women living in urban areas under the Taliban government: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

According to the World Health Organization, depression is a common mental health illness that is characterised by a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. The present study examined the association of two mental health variables (ie, depression, anxiety) with quality of life (QoL) and the sociodemographic characteristics of Afghan women living in urban areas under the rule of Taliban government in Afghanistan.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study administered between 10 November 2021 to 25 December 2021 among women.

SETTING

Across major provinces of Afghanistan (Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and Samangan).

MEASUREMENTS

Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data entry was carried out using Microsoft Excel 2016. And then exported to IBM SPSS V.26 for Microsoft Windows. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of depression, anxiety with QoL and sociodemographic characteristics among women (N=438).

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression symptoms was 80.4%, and the prevalence of mild to extremely severe anxiety was 81.0%. Depression symptoms among Afghan women were associated with being older, having more children, lower education level, other individuals' bad behaviour, bad events experienced in the past month, and feeling physically ill. Multiple regression analysis indicated that low monthly household income (adjusted OR, AOR 2.260; 95% CI 1.179 to 4.331, p=0.014) poor physical domain of QoL (AOR 4.436; 95% CI 1.748 to 11.256, p=0.002) and poor psychological domain of QoL (AOR 23.499; 95% CI 7.737 to 71.369, p<0.001) were significantly associated with depression.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of depression was high among women living under the government of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Considering the high prevalence of depression, anxiety and their impact on QoL and the overall quality of healthcare services, international health organisations should implement programmes for regular screening of depression and anxiety, and there should be psychological counselling services available for vulnerable women living under the government of the Taliban.

Emotions and Food Consumption: Emotional Eating Behavior in a European Population

Emotion can reflect in the perception of food consumption. An increase in food intake during emotional and psychological conditions may have a negative impact on human health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between food consumption, emotional eating behavior, and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, boredom eating, maintaining vigilance and alertness, and emotional food consolation. We used a Motivations for Food Choices Questionnaire (Eating Motivations, EATMOT) to determine the emotional aspects of food consumption in 9052 respondents living in 12 European countries between October 2017 and March 2018. Ordinal linear regression was used to identify the associations between the emotional eating behavior and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, emotional consolation, and reasons to improve physical and psychological conditions. The regression models confirmed the associations between food consumption, emotional conditions, and emotional eating behavior. Associations were found between the emotional eating behavior and stress (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.60, p = 0.010), depressive mood (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.40-1.43, p < 0.001), loneliness (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.58-1.62, p < 0.001), boredom (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.36-1.39, p < 0.001), and emotional consolation (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.54-1.57, p < 0.001). Emotional eating was associated with an effort to improve physical and psychological conditions, such as controlling body weight (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.10-1.12, p < 0.001), keeping awake and alert (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.19-1.20, p < 0.001) and consumption to feel good (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.21-1.22, p < 0.001). In conclusion, emotions might provoke emotional eating behavior. The appropriate way to handle stress, depression, or other emotional states is important in conditions of being emotionally overwhelmed. The public should be educated on how to handle different emotional states. The focus should be moved somehow from emotional eating and the consumption of unhealthy food to healthy lifestyle practices, including regular exercise and healthy eating habits. Thus, it is necessary to halt these negative health effects on human health through public health programs.

Mental healthcare-seeking behavior of women in Bangladesh: content analysis of a social media platform

BACKGROUND

Mental health remains a highly stigmatized area of healthcare, and people often conceal their concerns rather than seek assistance or treatment. The Women Support Initiative Forum (WSIF) is a social media platform established in 2018 to provide expert and peer-led psychosocial support services to women of all ages in Bangladesh. The anonymous nature of the forum means that mental health concerns can be aired without fear of identification.

METHOD

A content analysis was conducted on the anonymous posts retrieved from the WSIF platform between 8^th March 2020 and 7^th July 2022. Around 1457 posts were initially selected for analysis which was reduced to 1006 after removing duplicates and non-relevant posts, such as queries about the addresses of the doctors and other non-mental health-related issues. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted using an inductive approach.

RESULT

The 1006 posts generated four themes and nine sub-themes. All the women mentioned mental health symptoms (n = 1006; 100%). Most also mentioned reasons for seeking mental healthcare (n = 818; 81.31%), healthcare-seeking behavior (n = 667; 66.30%), and barriers to seeking mental healthcare (n = 552; 54.87%). The majority of women described symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety-like symptoms, which were aggregated under common mental health conditions. Mental health symptoms were ascribed to various external influences, including marital relationship, intrafamilial abuse, and insecurities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A large proportion of posts were related to women seeking information about mental healthcare services and service providers (psychologists or psychiatrists). The analysis found that most women did not obtain mental healthcare services despite their externalized mental health symptoms. The posts identified clear barriers to women accessing mental health services, including low mental health literacy, the stigma associated with mental healthcare-seeking behavior, and the poor availability of mental health care services.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed that raising mass awareness and designing culturally acceptable evidence-based interventions with multisectoral collaborations are crucial to ensuring better mental healthcare coverage for women in Bangladesh.

Prevalence of and sociodemographic factors associated with antenatal depression among women in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Background. Pregnancy-related depression is a common psychiatric disorder and a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries, but the disorder receives little attention and few resources, particularly in developing countries.Objectives. To assess the prevalence of antenatal depression and its sociodemographic risk factors among pregnant women in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Methods. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a district hospital from 8 March to 12 April 2021. Consecutive women attending antenatal care services during the data collection period were included in the study. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depression symptoms.Results. The prevalence of antenatal depression was 31% (95% confidence interval 26.1 - 36.3). Being unmarried, being a smoker, being without financial support from a partner, having a violent partner and having a less-educated partner were significant predictors of antenatal depression in these women.Conclusion. Nearly one-third of the pregnant women in our study had depressive symptoms. The important predictors of antenataldepression included being unmarried, smoking, lack of financial support from a partner, intimate partner violence and having a lesseducated partner. These findings may help healthcare workers to identify women at risk early, so that support can be offered during pregnancy and childbirth.

Trends in the prevalence and incidence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in Iran: findings from KERCADRS

OBJECTIVES

Anxiety and depression (A&D) are common mental disorders with high economical and health burdens. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the incidence rate of A&D symptoms and their relationship with sociodemographic and other risk factors and comorbidities in adults living in southeastern Iran.

DESIGN

A population-based cohort study with random cluster household survey sampling method.

SETTING

Second round of Kerman Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors Study (KERCADRS) (2014-2018) performed in Southeastern, Iran.

PARTICIPANTS

We recruited 9997 participants (15-80 years) in the second round of the study, from whom 2820 persons were the people who also participated in the first round of KERCADRS in 2009-2012. The age-standardised A&D prevalence was measured among all participants, and the 5-year A&D incidence rate was measured in those who were free from A&D in the first round in 2009-2012 and were at risk of A&D in the follow-up. The relationship between A&D and demographic characteristics, smoking, opium use, obesity and physical activity was assessed by logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Overall, the prevalence of anxiety (48.1% to 16.4%, p<0.001) and depression (5.9% to 1.3%, p<0.001) decreased between the two rounds. The highest prevalence of anxiety was among widowed (31.4%), unemployed (21.3%), obese (19.4%), and opium users (17.4%). Young adults, women, those divorced or widowed, and those with obesity and low physical activity had a higher chance of developing anxiety. The 5-year incidence rate (person/1000 person-years) was 15.0 for anxiety and 3.9 for depression.

CONCLUSION

Despite the overall decrease in the prevalence of A&D symptoms in last 5 years in the area, young adults, women, unemployed, opium users, people with low physical activity and those with obesity had a higher chance of developing anxiety and are in need of more targeted interventions.