UMMS Affiliation
School of Medicine; Department of Quantitative Health Sciences; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Department of Psychiatry; Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research Center
Publication Date
2016-09-01
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | International Public Health | Mental Disorders | Psychiatry | Translational Medical Research | Women's Health
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders (CMD) are a constellation of mental health conditions that include depression, anxiety, and other related nonpsychotic affective disorders. Qualitative explanatory models of mental health among reproductive-aged women in India reveal that distress is strongly associated with CMD. The relationship of perceived stress and CMD might be attenuated or exacerbated based on an individual's sociodemographic characteristics.
OBJECTIVES: To screen for Common Mental Disorders (CMD) among reproductive-aged women from rural western India and explore how the relationship between perceived stress and CMD screening status varies by sociodemographic characteristics.
METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 700 women from rural Gujarat, India. CMD screening status was assessed using Self-Reported Questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20). Factors associated with CMD screening status were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Effect modification for the relationship of perceived stress and CMD screening status was assessed using interaction terms and interpreted in terms of predicted probabilities.
FINDINGS: The analytic cohort included 663 women, with roughly 1 in 4 screening positive for CMD (157, 23.7%). Poor income, low education, food insecurity, and recurrent thoughts after traumatic events were associated with increased risk of positive CMD screen. Perceived stress was closely associated with CMD screening status. Higher education attenuated the relationship between high levels of stress and CMD screening status (82.3%, 88.8%, 32.9%; P value for trend: 0.03). Increasing income and age attenuated the link between moderate stress and CMD.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a high burden of possible CMD among reproductive-aged women from rural western India. Higher education might mitigate the association between elevated stress and CMD. Future efforts to improve mental health in rural India should focus on preventing CMD by enhancing rural women's self-efficacy and problem-solving capabilities to overcome challenging life events and stressors, thereby reducing the risk of CMD.
Keywords
UMCCTS funding
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.001
Source
Ann Glob Health. 2016 Sep - Oct;82(5):779-787. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.001. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Annals of global health
Related Resources
PubMed ID
28283129
Repository Citation
Fahey N, Soni A, Allison JJ, Vankar J, Prabhakaran A, Moore Simas TA, Byatt N, Phatak A, O'Keefe E, Nimbalkar S. (2016). Education Mitigates the Relationship of Stress and Mental Disorders Among Rural Indian Women. UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Supported Publications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.001. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/umccts_pubs/114
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, International Public Health Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Psychiatry Commons, Translational Medical Research Commons, Women's Health Commons
Comments
Co-author Apurv Soni is a medical student at UMass Medical School.