Ahmad Ali Noorbala
1*, Seyed Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
2, Soghrat Faghihzadeh
3, Koorosh Kamali
4, Elham Faghihzadeh
5, Ahmad Hajebi
6, Shahin Akhondzadeh
7, Azadeh Sedighnia
8, Ahmad Azimi
91 Psychosomatic Medicine Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
2 Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran, Tehran, Iran,
3 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran,
4 Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran,
5 Department of Biostatistics, Paramedical School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
6 Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors (ReCARB), Psychiatric Department, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
7 Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
8 Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship Residency of Tehran University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, Iran,
9 Mental Health Expertise of Ardebil provincial Health Center, Ardebil University of Medical Sciences, Ardebil, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: The main objective of this study was to determine the
mental health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Ardebil
in 2015.
Methods: The statistical population of this cross-sectional field
survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of Ardebil province in
Iran. An estimated sample size of 1200 people were chosen using systematic
random cluster sampling. Access was provided by the contribution of
Geographical Post Office of Ardebil, Pars abad and Germi cities. The
General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used as the screening tool
for mental disorders. Data analysis in the current study was carried out using
the SPSS-18 software.
Results: Using GHQ traditional scoring method, the results showed
that 21.4% of individuals (26.3% of females and 16.5% of males) were
suspected of mental disorders. The prevalence of suspected cases of mental
disorders was 20.8% in urban and 22.8% in rural areas. The results also showed
that somatization and anxiety symptoms were more prevalent than social
dysfunction and depression symptoms, and were more common in women than men. The
results of this research also showed that the prevalence of suspected cases of
mental disorders increased with aging. Such disorders were more common in
females, age group of 65 and above, people living in rural areas, divorced and
widowed, illiterate and unemployed individuals compared with other groups.
Conclusion:
The results of this study
showed that about one fifth of people in the province were suspected of mental
disorders. Therefore, it is mandatory for the provincial public health
authorities to take the needed steps to ensure that necessary requirements
encompassing prevention and promotion of mental health are implemented