A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms and Its Associated Sociodemographic Factors in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its sociodemographic-associated factors in Peruvian adults. Data was extracted from a nation-wide representative survey in which depression symptoms were measured with the PHQ-9 and sociodemographic information was extracted from household data. Depression severity rates were estimated for each symptom, and responses were modeled through the Rating Scale Model to obtain a depression measure used as dependent variable on a Generalized Mixed Linear Model. The most frequent depression symptoms were emotional, such as discouragement, sad mood, hopelessness, and lack of pleasure when doing activities. Our model showed that, after controlling the effects of all the variables considered, the most relevant predictors were gender, education level, physiographic region, age, marital status, and number of coresidents. Higher depression levels were found in women, people who did not complete higher education, participants living in the Highlands, older adults, single participants, and people living alone. Thus, interventions to promote or prevent depression severity during similar situations as the pandemic should focus on specific sociodemographic groups and their particular needs.

Programmatic implementation of depression screening and remote mental health support sessions for persons recently diagnosed with TB in Lima, Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…We recognize that this prevalence estimate was determined using a liberal PHQ-9 cutoff score of 5. Nonetheless, our prevalence estimate is much higher than that recently reported in the general Peruvian population during the pandemic period (~20%) (Zegarra-López et al, 2022). Our estimate is consistent with the pooled depressive symptom prevalence estimate among persons with TB (Duko et al, 2020).…”

The Mediating Effect of Coping Strategies on the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults from Chiclayo

“…In the Peruvian context, depression among elderly people is a signi cant public health issue. Studies conducted in the country have revealed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms in this population varies from 10.8% to 40.7% [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. This wide range of prevalence can be attributed to differences in study methodologies and the characteristics of the populations studied.…”

Factors Associated with Depression Symptoms in the Peruvian Population : Analysis of a National Health Survey

“…These additions contributed to an increase in the prevalence of depression up to seven times worldwide (Bueno-Notivol et al, 2021), mainly affecting those who were quarantined alone or whose family or close friends were isolated in some way (Lei et al, 2020). Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated depressive symptoms in several sociodemographic groups, resulting in the necessity of an interventional approach adapted to the specific needs of each population, especially one such as the Peruvian population, which is characterized by socioeconomic challenges including poverty and the presence of vulnerable groups (Zegarra-López et al, 2022).…”