FREQUENCY AND DISTRIBUTION OF DEPRESSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Abstract

Background: Depression is highly frequent and in 2020, it will become the second leading cause of disability. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency & distribution of depression among occupational workers and their families.
Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Punjab Employees Social Security Hospital (PESSI), Rawalpindi, Pakistan from July to September 2013. Sample size was 80 subjects selected by convenient sampling technique. Demographic variables were; gender, age, education, income and family type. Research variable was presence of depression. We used a standardized and validated questionnaire to collect data named as “Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale (HADS)”. The scale was translated in urdu. Scores for each item in the questionnaire ranged from 0 to 3. The categorical variables were expressed as frequency and percentages whereas numeric variable such as age was expressed as mean and SD by using SPSS version 16.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 33.85 ±10.67 years ranging from 18 to 70 years. Out of 80 subjects, 31.25% were having depression. Out of 25 patients, Eight percent were males and 92% were females. Twenty four percent were illiterate, 8% were primary, 24% were middle, 28% were matric and 16% were graduates. Thirty six percent were having income Rs. <10,000, 40% were having income 10,000-20,000 whereas 24% were having income >20,000. Out of 25, 52% were from joint family whereas 48% were from nuclear family setup.
Conclusion: Frequency of depression was 25(31.25%). It was more common in poor and illiterate females from joint families.