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. 2015 Oct-Dec;4(4):576-81.
doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.174297.

Depression and anxiety among middle-aged women: A community-based study

Priya Bansal  1 , Anurag Chaudhary  1 , R K Soni  1 , Sarit Sharma  1 , Vikram Kumar Gupta  1 , Pushapindra Kaushal  1
Affiliations

Depression and anxiety among middle-aged women: A community-based study

Priya Bansal et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2015 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Anxiety and depressive disorders constitute a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease and are projected to form the second most common cause of disability by 2020.

Objective: To assess the level of depression and anxiety among middle age women and the possible factors behind it.

Materials and methods: A total of 180 women aged 40-60 years were selected by proportionate sampling technique. Age, education, marital status, socioeconomic status, age at marriage, age at menopause, weight and height were noted. Zung-self-rating scales were used for calculating levels of depression and anxiety in these women. The data were analyzed by using statistical software SPSS.

Results: The level of syndromal depression and anxiety was found to be 86.7% and 88.9%, respectively. Most of the subjects had the moderate type of depression (49.5%) followed by mild (29.4%) and severe depression (7.8%). While in case of anxiety, most of the subjects (69.4%) had a mild form of anxiety and 17.8% had moderate anxiety level. A significant difference was observed in the level of depression with respect to marital status (P = 0.009) and in the level of anxiety with respect to age (P = 0.021) in the study subjects. On applying logistic regression, none of the factors studied were found to be significant variables for anxiety or depression in the study population.

Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are prevalent among the middle-aged women in rural Punjab. Provision of mental health services in this group is essential.

Keywords: Anxiety; depression; middle-aged women.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of subjects according to the depression level as per Zung-self-rating depression scale
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of subjects according to the anxiety level as per Zung-self-rating anxiety scale
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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