Ahmad Ali Noorbala
1*, Seyed Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
2, Soghrat Faghihzadeh
3, Koorosh Kamali
4, Elham Faghihzadeh
5, Ahmad Hajebi
6, Shahin Akhondzadeh
7, Arvin Hedayati
8, Fatemah Akbari Zadeh
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 Psychiatrist, Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,
9 Mental Health Expertise of Bushehr Provincial Health Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: This research aims to determine the mental
health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Bushehr in 2015.
Methods: The statistical population of this cross-sectional field
survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of Bushehr province in
Iran. Through systematic random cluster sampling, 1200 individuals were
selected from the residents of urban and rural areas of Bushehr, Deilam and
Borazjan. The 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire was applied
as the screening tool. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 18.0 for windows.
Results: The results of this study showed that using the
traditional scoring method, 23.4% of the subjects (29% of females and 14.7% of
males) were suspected of mental disorders. The prevalence of suspected
psychiatric disorders in rural areas (24.5%) was more than the prevalence of
these disorders in urban areas (22.8%). The prevalence of suspected anxiety and
the somatization of symptoms was higher than the prevalence of social
dysfunction and depression, and the prevalence of these components was higher in
women than men. The findings of this study also showed that the prevalence of
suspected cases of mental disorders increased significantly with age. The
prevalence of suspected cases of these disorders was higher among females, the
age group of 65 and older, people living in rural areas, divorced and widowed, students
and primary and secondary education than other groups.
Conclusion: The results of this study show that more than one fourth
of the sample were suspected of mental disorders, and the prevalence of these
disorders has increased from 21.3% in 1999 to 23.4% in 2015. Therefore, it
seems necessary for the provincial public health authorities to take the needed
steps for providing requirements encompassing prevention and promotion of
mental health in this area.