Ahmad Ali Noorbala
1, Seyed Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
2, Soghrat Faghihzadeh
3, Koorosh Kamali
4, Elham Faghihzadeh
5, Ahmad Hajebi
6, Shahin Akhondzadeh
7, Nazila Shahmansouri
8, Mostafa Shakeri
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 Department of Psychiatry, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
9 Mental Health Expertise of Charmahal and Bakhtiari Provincial Health Center, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari University of Medical Sciences, Shahre Kord, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: This research aims to determine the mental
health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Chaharmahal and
Bakhtiari in 2015.
Methods: The statistical population of this
cross-sectional field survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in Iran. An estimated sample size of 1200 people was
chosen using systematic random cluster sampling. The access was provided by the
contribution of Geographical Post Office of Shahre Kord, Farsan and Farrokhshar
cities. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used as the screening tool
for mental disorders. The
analysis of data in the current study was carried out using the SPSS-18
software.
Results: Using GHQ traditional scoring
method, the results showed that 24.9% of the subjects were at risk of mental disorders
(26.8% of females and 23% of males). Urban areas (27.1%) were more at risk of
mental disorders compared with rural residents (19.1%). Anxiety and
somatization symptoms were more frequent than depression and social dysfunction
among respondents. The obtained data revealed that the prevalence of mental
disorders increased with age. The results also indicated that mental disorders
were more common in certain subgroups, in particular females, people aged 65
years and above, the divorced and widowed, illiterate and unemployed adults.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that one fourth of the participants
are at risk of developing mental disorders. Although the prevalence of these
disorders has decreased from 39.1% to 24.9% between 1999 and 2015, it is still
of great importance to further promote mental health policies and advocate
psychological welfare of those suffering from mental disorders along with their
re-empowerment.