Depressive symptoms among adults: Baseline findings of PURE Malaysia cohort study
Azmi Mohd Tamil,
Noor Hassim Ismail,
Mohd Hasni Jaafar,
Zaleha Md Isa,
Rosnah Ismail,
Nafiza Mat Nasir,
Maizatullifah Miskan,
Najihah Zainol Abidin,
Nurul Hafiza Ab Razak,
Raed Joundi,
Khairul Hazdi Yusof
Affiliations
Azmi Mohd Tamil
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Noor Hassim Ismail
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Corresponding author.
Mohd Hasni Jaafar
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Zaleha Md Isa
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rosnah Ismail
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nafiza Mat Nasir
Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh Campus, Selangor Branch, Jalan Hospital, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
Maizatullifah Miskan
Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Najihah Zainol Abidin
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Diagnostic and Allied Health Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Management and Science University, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Nurul Hafiza Ab Razak
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Raed Joundi
Division of Neurology, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University and Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Khairul Hazdi Yusof
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Introduction: In Malaysia, the prevalence of depression has increased from 1.8 % to 2.3 % within a decade. Thus, this study was performed to identify depressive symptoms and its associated factors among Malaysian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adult population aged 35–70 residing in rural and urban areas in Malaysia. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the short form Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) questionnaire. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify the associated factors related to depressive symptoms. Results: About 3.7 % (95 % CI: 2.33–4.83) of the respondents reported having depressive symptoms. Younger adults aged 35–40 years old (AOR: 3.087; 95 % CI: 2.021–4.717), females (AOR: 2.318; 95 % CI: 1.669–3.219), widows and divorcees (AOR: 2.294; 95 % CI: 1.085–4.848), smokers (AOR: 1.843; 95 % CI: 1.334–2.545) and alcohol consumers (AOR: 1.843; 95 % CI: 1.264–2.688) showed a higher odds compared to their other counterparts. Underweight individuals (AOR: 1.899; 95 % CI: 1.177–3.065) and those diagnosed either with hypertension (AOR: 1.442; 95 % CI: 1.11–1.873), diabetes (AOR: 1.554; 95 % CI: 1.133–2.13), angina (AOR: 2.73; 95 % CI: 1.596–4.67), COPD (AOR: 4.187; 95 % CI: 1.528–11.472) or asthma (AOR: 1.906; 95 % CI: 1.309–2.774) were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Additionally, individuals with difficulty trusting people (AOR: 1.477; 95 % CI: 1.024–2.13) and those reported to experience either home or work-related stress (AOR: 2.584; 95 % CI: 2.003–3.331) were more prone to have depressive symptoms. Conclusion: In this broad population-based study, about 3.7 % (95 % CI: 2.33–4.83) of respondents reported having depressive symptoms. Timely and well targeted collaborative intervention on the identified risk factors by the relevant authorities, would mitigate their effect on the quality of life and retard the progression into depression, especially among younger adults.
