"Psychosocial Functioning in Women with Depression"

Abstract

Introduction:

The World Health Organization (WHO) rated depression as the third leading cause of disease burden in 2008, with the disorder expected to rise to first place by 2030. Depression is not only the most common women's mental health problem but more persistent in women than men, as reported by World Health Organization and Indians are reported to be the highest affected population in the world (WHO, 2005). The biomedical perspective posits that psychological, hormonal, and reproductive processes render women more prone to developing depressive symptoms (Ussher, 2010). In India, the prevalence of depression is 9%, a major depressive episode is 36%, and the average age of depression is 31.9 years (World Health Report, 2001). Approximately 20% of Indian women experience depression at some time in their lives (Bhattacharya, 2019). Depression affects individuals physically and psychologically and it often results in impairment in their quality of life and relationships. The present study aims to find out the psychosocial functioning of women with moderate depression.

Methodology:

The aim of the study was to assess psychosocial functioning of women with moderate depression. Descriptive study design was employed with total 40 women diagnosed with depression who were taking treatment from outpatient department of LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health. A random sampling method was adopted to obtain the sample that satisfied the ICD 10 criteria for moderate depressive disorder. This study included married women with the age of 18 – 45, and who speak Assamese. Women with IDD and co- morbid psychiatric illnesses were excluded. To measure the socio-demographic details, a semi-structured socio-demographic data sheet was used. Psychosocial functioning was measured through disability and quality of life. World Health Organization Quality of Life- Bref (WHOQOL-Bref) and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) tools were administered to obtain the data. This study was conducted in the outpatient department of Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health. Results indicated substantial changes in the daily functioning and quality of life of these patients. The limitations and suggestions for future perspective are discussed.

Findings:

The results show that social involvement was the most affected area, followed by routine activities and the patient's comprehension and communication. These resulted in disability in the areas of interpersonal relationships, disruption in regular work and cognitive processes such as attention and concentration, learning new skills etc. Similarly, the various domains in quality of life revealed comparable results, indicating that social relationships are most negatively impacted by depression, followed by  psychological health and physical health.

Key words: Women with depression, Psychosocial functioning, Disability, Quality of life.