Depressive symptoms and its associated factors among prisoners in Debre Berhan prison, Ethiopia.

Yared Reta,Yohannes Gebreegziabhere,Ruth Getachew,Betelhem Kale,Melese Bahiru,Keralem Workie,Stefano Federici

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0220267

Abstract

BackgroundDepression is a common mental disorder among prisoners characterized by a mood change involving a feeling of sadness, lack of interest, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer. Besides imprisonment, depression is the primary factor leading to suicidal attempts. However, little is known about the depressive status of prisoners in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the magnitude and associated factors of depressive symptoms among prisoners of Debre Berhan prison.MethodsWe conducted an institution-based cross-sectional study. We collected data from 336 randomly selected prisoners using interviewer-administered Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We collected the data from May 3 to 28, 2015, and performed binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors of depressive disorder.ResultOut of the total of 336 prisoners, 98% (n = 330) were males. Using PHQ-9 at the cut-off point of ≥5, we found the prevalence of depression to be 44% (n = 148). Being widowed (AOR = 6.30; CI: 1.09–36.67), having a college or university level educational status (AOR = 5.34; CI:1.59–17.94), having a history of suicide attempt (AOR = 2.76 CI: 1.04–7.31), having faced severe stressful life events (AOR = 2.57; CI: 1.41–4.67), being sentenced for 5 to 10 years (AOR = 2.51; CI:1.32–4.79), and having a history of chronic medical illness (AOR = 3.32 CI: 1.26–8.75) were found to be independently associated with depressive symptoms.ConclusionThere is a high prevalence of depression among prisoners of Debre Berhan prison. Hence, designing strategies for early screening and treatment of depression at prisons is crucial.

Highlights

Worldwide, more than 10 million people are imprisoned
We found that the one-month prevalence of depression to be 44.05%, and this finding is consistent with studies done in Ethiopia, on which a study from Jimma Prison and Bahir Dar prison reported a prevalence of 41.9% 45.5%, respectively
Depressive symptoms and its associated factors among prisoners in Debre Berhan prison Our study showed a higher prevalence of depression as compared with studies from countries like Brazil (17.6%) [17] and Iran (29%) [16], the reasons might be because we used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which is a screening tool, while both studies used a diagnostic tool, i.e., the study from Iran used DSM-IV, and the study from Brazil used Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)

Summary

Introduction

More than 10 million people are imprisoned. The prevalence of mental disorder among inmates is at least five times higher than among the general population, with clinical staff neglecting a large proportion of inmates with a severe mental illness, and that those receiving treatments do not receive adequate attention [1,2,3]. Prisoners are no longer free to spend time and choose places to live. External and internal factors worsen the morbidity of mental illness in prisons. Common external factors are overcrowding and unhygienic living conditions, poor food quality, physical or verbal abuse by prisoners, availability of illegal drugs, lack of privacy, and lack of time to relax. The cumulative effect of all these factors increased the risk of mental illness in prisoners [8]. Depression is a common mental disorder among prisoners characterized by a mood change involving a feeling of sadness, lack of interest, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer. Depression is the primary factor leading to suicidal attempts. This study aimed at assessing the magnitude and associated factors of depressive symptoms among prisoners of Debre Berhan prison

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion