No abstract

Background: During the period of adolescence, several major developmental changes occur that can have significant impact on an individual’s brain structure and functioning through their entire life. The present study examined the association between depression and self-esteem alongside specific sociodemographic factors among school-going adolescents living under the rule of Taliban. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with adolescents (n=452) from 20 randomly selected public primary, secondary and high schools of Herat province (Afghanistan) out of the 86 schools registered in Herat Education Department. Results: Two-thirds of adolescents reported depression symptoms (65.3%) and 86.3% reported poor self-esteem. Multiple regression analysis indicated that (i) mother's education level was significantly associated with depression symptoms and (ii) low-income economic status was significantly associated with self-esteem. Conclusion: As well as being one of the few studies in Afghanistan, the present study is one of the very few to assess the association between class group, self-esteem, and depression symptoms. These findings may be used by healthcare authorities and school administrators to raise awareness and implement strategies to facilitate self-esteem among school school-going adolescents.

Background According to the World Health Organization, approximately 280 million individuals worldwide suffer from depression. One occupational group that is more prone to mental health issues is healthcare workers (HCWs). However, very little is known about the mental health of HCWs in Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study estimated the prevalence of depression, quality of life (QOL) and related factors among Afghan HCWs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered in June 2022 to 299 healthcare workers in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The survey examined depression, its risk factors and predictors among HCWs. Results Depression was found among 73.6% of all the 299 participants. Low monthly income, working in a private hospital, and being a cigarette smoker were among the main variables associated with depression among Afghan HCWs. Multiple regression analysis indicated that field of work (OR = 095, p = .039), monthly income (OR=-.061, p < .001), job type (OR=-.194, p < .001), cigarette smoking (OR = .107, p = .014), a bad event during the past month (OR=-.122, p = .004), physical domain of quality of life (OR=-.004, p = .009), and psychological domain of quality of life (OR=-.006, p < .001) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion The prevalence of depression is high among healthcare workers in the Herat province of Afghanistan. One of the variables found to have a major impact on the prevalence of depression was their monthly income. Considering its impact on quality of life and the overall quality of healthcare services, the government should implement regular screening for depression, psychological counselling services, and psychiatric treatment for vulnerable healthcare workers.

ObjectivesAccording to the World Health Organization, depression is a common mental health illness that is characterised by a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. The present study examined the association of two mental health variables (ie, depression, anxiety) with quality of life (QoL) and the sociodemographic characteristics of Afghan women living in urban areas under the rule of Taliban government in Afghanistan.DesignCross-sectional study administered between 10 November 2021 to 25 December 2021 among women.SettingAcross major provinces of Afghanistan (Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and Samangan).MeasurementsData were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data entry was carried out using Microsoft Excel 2016. And then exported to IBM SPSS V.26 for Microsoft Windows. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of depression, anxiety with QoL and sociodemographic characteristics among women (N=438).ResultsThe prevalence of depression symptoms was 80.4%, and the prevalence of mild to extremely severe anxiety was 81.0%. Depression symptoms among Afghan women were associated with being older, having more children, lower education level, other individuals’ bad behaviour, bad events experienced in the past month, and feeling physically ill. Multiple regression analysis indicated that low monthly household income (adjusted OR, AOR 2.260; 95% CI 1.179 to 4.331, p=0.014) poor physical domain of QoL (AOR 4.436; 95% CI 1.748 to 11.256, p=0.002) and poor psychological domain of QoL (AOR 23.499; 95% CI 7.737 to 71.369, p<0.001) were significantly associated with depression.ConclusionThe prevalence of depression was high among women living under the government of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Considering the high prevalence of depression, anxiety and their impact on QoL and the overall quality of healthcare services, international health organisations should implement programmes for regular screening of depression and anxiety, and there should be psychological counselling services available for vulnerable women living under the government of the Taliban.