Abstract

People with low education levels, low economic status, and numerous barriers to accessing health services, such as the hill tribe people in Ahmednagar, are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of untreated depression. Adults from a single hill tribe over the age of 30 were included in this cross-sectional observational research of depression prevalence and risk variables. In-depth interviews were conducted using a validated questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to collect the data. One hundred fifty people were surveyed; 70 percent were married; 28 percent were aged 50 and over; and 73 percent were female. Depression was shown to be substantially related to four factors among persons aged 30 and up from hill tribes. Having a history of abusing psychoactive substances, being under a lot of stress, and being a female all increased the risk of depression. Substance abusers and stressed women are more at risk for depression, thus it's important to explore public health programs that target these populations

Description