Debt and depression among the Dibao population in northwestern China

• Published in: International journal of social psychiatry Vol. 60; no. 7; pp. 637 - 645
• Main Authors: Gong, Yanhong, Zhang, Xiulan, Zou, Hong, Tian, Donghua, Qu, Zhiyong, Zhang, Weijun, Chu, Yongqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.11.2014; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Body Mass Index; China - epidemiology; Cluster Analysis; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Debt; Depressive Disorder - economics; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - ethnology; Female; Gender; Humans; Male; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Obesity; Odds Ratio; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Social networks; Socioeconomic Factors; Tobacco Use - economics; Tobacco Use - epidemiology; Tobacco Use - ethnology; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; China; Dibao population; Depression; debt; China
• ISSN: 0020-7640; 1741-2854
• DOI: 10.1177/0020764013511068

Background: With the rapid development of economy, depression disorder is not only a public health issue but also a socioeconomic problem and attracting more and more attention in China. Aims: The target of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression and the related risk factors in the Dibao population in northwestern China. Method: A cross-sectional analysis in a random sample survey conducted in three northwestern Chinese cities in 2007. The data from 4459 respondents with completed Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) scales were evaluated to explore the key risk factors for depression. Using depression as a binary variable according to the cutoff of the CES-D score and then as a continuous variable, multiple logistic and line regression analysis were performed to compare the odds ratio and the weight of different risk factors for depression. Results: The prevalence of depression in non-Dibao population was 34.7% but that in the Dibao population was 50.0% (p < .001). After adjusting for important confounders, Dibao population had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.38 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16–1.63) to have possible depression compared to those non-Dibao people. Furthermore, depression was associated with a higher OR of indebtedness (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.31–1.93), and a small amount of debt would increase the possibility of depression for Dibao people (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.28–2.23). In addition, gender, body mass index (BMI), tobacco use and social network were also important risk factors for depression in the Dibao population. Using depression as a continuous variable, being a member of the Dibao population and being indebted will add 2.06 and 1.83 to the CES-D score, respectively, compared with the non-Dibao population and not being indebted. A comparison of the odds ratios of depression between the Dibao and the non-Dibao population showed that factors such as gender, BMI, tobacco use, social network and indebtedness were statistically significant in the Dibao population but were not statistically significant in the non-Dibao population. Additionally, having a savings account was statistically significant in the non-Dibao population but not in the Dibao population. Conclusions: It was not surprising, as proved by other studies, that gender, obesity and social network were risk factors associated with depression in the Dibao population. Our findings indicated that a small amount of indebtedness was also closely related to depression in the Dibao population.