TITLE:
Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Depression in Women: A Comparison between Pre-Menopausal and Post-Menopausal Attendees of the General Outpatient Department in Fmc Lokoja
AUTHORS:
Obianma Nneka Onya, Chinenye Otorkpa
KEYWORDS:
Premenopause, Postmenopause, Depression, Outpatient
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Depression,
Vol.7 No.3,
August
31,
2018
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Globally, the burden of depression is on the increase especially
among women. The increased prevalence of depression correlates with hormonal
changes in women, suggesting that female hormonal fluctuations may
be a trigger for depression. Hence this study sought to determine the prevalence
and socio-demographic pattern of depression among pre- and
post-menopausal women. Methodology: A cross-sectional design comprising
of pre- and post-menopausal women attending the General Outpatient Department
of the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, North-Central region of
Nigeria was employed in this study. Data on depression were collection using
the Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression (CES-D) questionnaire, a validated
and reliable tool for assessment of depression. Descriptive and inferential
statistics were performed using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Epi Info version 7. Statistical significance was set at level of
0.05. Results: A total of 277 pre-menopausal and 103 post-menopausal
women were involved in the study. The prevalence of depression was higher
among post-menopausal women (45.6%) in comparison to pre-menopausal
women (35.4%). There was no significant relationship between demographic
characteristics and depression in both groups of the study (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This study noted that unlike the pre-menopausal population, almost
half of the post-menopausal women had depression. Hence, routine screening
for depression among post-menopausal women is advocated for timely intervention
irrespective of their socio-demographic status.