Abstract
BackgroundMental health challenges are on the rise worldwide. In Iceland, little is known about the sociodemographic factors associated with poor mental health. This study aimed to investigate symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and psychiatric medication for mental disorders in a nationally representative sample in Iceland and to explore its associations with sociodemographic factors.MethodsThis Icelandic cross-sectional study ‘Health and Wellbeing of Icelanders’ was conducted in 2017 and included 9,887 randomly chosen adults. Participants’ depression, anxiety, and stress levels were measured with the Depression Anxiety and Stress scale-21(DASS-21) and the association with sociodemographic factors and prescribed psychiatric medication was assessed in a multinominal logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe youngest age group (18 to 29 years old) had the poorest mental health. Males had a higher risk of medium and high depression scores than females, RRR 1.23 (95% CI 1.06–1.44) and RRR 1.71 (95% CI 1.25–2.33) when adjusted for sociodemographic factors (age, sex, education, marital status, financial status, living area, employment) and use of psychiatric medication. Participants with the most considerable financial difficulties had the highest risk of high scores on depression RRR 11.19 (95% CI 5.8—21.57), anxiety RRR 12.35 (95% CI 5.62—27.14) and stress RRR 11.55 (95% CI 4.75—28.04) when compared to those that do not.ConclusionsThe youngest participants and those with the most extensive financial difficulties had the highest depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Males scored higher than females on depression. There was a trend towards worse mental health with lower sociodemographic status. Higher education, living with someone, and financial security were associated with better mental health. These results implicate the importance of government actions to counteract social inequalities in the Icelandic nation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
