Socio-medical aspects of depressive disorders in Vojvodina

Depresija je jedan od najčešćih mentalnih poremećaja u opštoj populaciji širom sveta i prema podacima Svetske zdravstvene organizacije se nalazi na trećem mestu globalnog opterećenja bolestima. Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio da se utvrdi prevalencija depresije u populaciji odraslog stanovništva Vojvodine, da se identifikuju kategorije stanovništva pod najvećim rizikom i da se utvrdi povezanost depresije sa determinantama zdravlja, zdravstvenim stanjem i korišćenjem zdravstvene zaštite. Istraživanje je sprovedeno kao studija preseka na reprezentativnom uzorku stanovništva Vojvodine starosti 15 i više godina, kao deo nacionalne studije „Istraživanje zdravlja stanovništva Srbije“ koju je sprovelo Ministarstvo zdravlja Republike Srbije 2013. godine. Kao instrument istraživanja su korišćeni upitnici konstruisani u skladu sa upitnikom Evropskog istraživanja zdravlja. Prisustvo depresivnih simptoma je analizirano primenom PHQ-8 upitnika (Patient Health Questionnaire-8) a vrednost PHQ-8 skora 10 i više je ukazivala na prisustvo depresivne epizode (depresije). Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 3550 ispitanika prosečne starosti 50,2 godine. Prevalencija depresije je iznosila 4,8%. Primenom multivarijantne regresije je utvrđeno da žene imaju za 40% veću šansu za depresiju u odnosu na muškarce (OR=1,4), a kao prediktori depresije su se pokazali i starija životna dob, razvod/razlaz ili udovstvo, niži nivo obrazovanja, nezaposlenost, ekonomska neaktivnost i niži materijalni status. Osobe koje su u mesecu koji je prethodio istraživanju bile izložene stresu su imale oko sedam puta veću šansu za depresiju (OR=6,8), a kod ispitanika sa lošom socijalnom podrškom šansa za depresiju je bila oko četiri puta veća nego kod ispitanika sa jakom socijalnom podrškom (OR=3,7). Multimorbiditet je bio značajno prisutniji među ispitanicima sa depresijom, a šansa za prisustvo dve ili više hroničnih bolesti je kod njih bila skoro pet puta veća (OR=4,6) u odnosu na ispitanike koji nisu imali depresivne simptome. Depresija se pokazala i kao značajan prediktor češćeg korišćenja usluga zdravstvene zaštite. Dobijeni rezultati su potvrdili javnozdravstveni značaj depresije i istovremeno obezbedili podatke koji se mogu koristiti kao osnova za buduća prospektivna istraživanja, kao i za kreiranje programa za prevenciju i kontrolu depresivnih poremećaja i unapređenje mentalnog zdravlja.Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the general population worldwide and according to the World Health Organization it is the third leading cause of the global burden of disease. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression in the adult population of Vojvodina, to identify groups at the greatest risk of depression and to determine the relationship of depression with health determinants, health status and use of health care services. The research was carried out as a cross-sectional study on a representative sample of the population of Vojvodina, aged 15 and over as part of the National Health Survey of Serbia which was conducted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia in 2013. Data was gathered by using questionnaires designed in accordance to the European Health Interview Survey. The presence of depressive symptoms was analyzed using the PHQ-8 questionnaire (Patient Health Questionnaire-8) and the score of 10 or above indicated a presence of a depressive episode (depression). The study included 3550 examinees with an average age of 50.2 years. The prevalence of depression was 4.8%. Multivariate regression showed that women had a 40% greater chance to suffer from depression as compared to men (OR=1.4). Also, factors such as older age, divorce/separation or widowhood, lower level of education, economic inactivity and poor financial situation were predictors of depression. People who were exposed to stress in the month prior to the survey had about seven times greater odds of depression (OR=6.8), and in patients with poor social support the chance of depression was about four times higher than among those with a strong social support (OR=3.7). Multimorbidity was significantly more prevalent among respondents with depression and they had five times higher odds of the presence of two or more chronic diseases (OR=4.6) in comparison with those who did not show depressive symptoms. Depression has been revealed as a significant predictor of more frequent use of health care services. The results confirmed the importance of depression to public health and also provided the data that can be used as a basis for future prospective studies, as well as for the development of the programs for the prevention and control of depressive disorders and mental health improvement