Ahmad Ali Noorbala
1*, Seyed Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
2, Soghrat Faghihzadeh
3, Koorosh Kamali
4, Elham Faghihzadeh
5, Ahmad Hajebi
6, Shahin Akhondzadeh
7, Farzin Rezaei
8, Farough Vafaei
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 Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosciences Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran,
9 Responsible Manager of Mental Health office of Korderstan Provincial Health Center, Kordestan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: This research aims to determine the mental
health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Kordestan in 2015.
Methods: The statistical population of this
cross-sectional field survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of
Kordestan 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 Sanandaj, Divandareh and Bijar cities. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used as a screening tool
for mental disorders. Data
analysis in the current study was carried out using the SPSS-18 software.
Results: With the traditional scoring method
used, 30.4% of the participants (38.1% of women and 22.9% of men) were
suspected of having mental disorders. The suspected prevalence of mental
disorder was higher in urban (32.5%) than rural areas (25.3%). The suspected
prevalence of somatic symptoms and anxiety was greater than the suspected
prevalence of social dysfunction and depression, and these disorders were more
prevalent in women than men. The findings also showed that the suspected
prevalence of mental disorder increased with age. The suspected prevalence of
these disorders was higher in women, urban residents, the over 65 age group,
the divorced and widowed subjects, the illiterate, the retired and the
housewives compared to the other groups.
Conclusion: The present findings showed that almost a third of
the samples were suspected of mental disorder, and the prevalence of these
disorders had increased from 21.8% in 1999 to 30% in 2015. The health
authorities of the province should therefore take the necessary measures to
protect and treat people with mental disorders and promote mental health in the
community