Prevalence and Correlates of Individuals Screening Positive for Depression and Anxiety on the PHQ-4 in the German General Population: Findings from the Nationally Representative German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP).

André Hajek,Hans-Helmut König

doi:10.3390/ijerph17217865

Abstract

Our aim was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of probable depression and anxiety in the general adult population in Germany. Repeated cross-sectional data (i.e., cross-sectional data observed at different time points: year 2012 and year 2014) were derived from the innovation sample of the German Socio-Economic Panel, a population-based study of German households. The validated Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) was used to measure probable depression and anxiety. In the analytical sample, n equaled 2952 individuals. According to the PHQ-4 cut-off values, 10.4% of the individuals had probable depression and 9.8% of the individuals had probable anxiety. Regressions revealed that the likelihood of depression was positively associated with lower age (OR: 0.98 (95% CI: 0.98–0.99)), being unmarried (and living together with spouse) (OR: 0.75 (0.58–0.98)), worse self-rated health (OR: 1.99 (1.73–2.27)), and more chronic diseases (OR: 1.18 (1.07–1.31)). Furthermore, the likelihood of anxiety was positively associated with being female (OR: 1.36 (95% CI: 1.04–1.76)), lower age (OR: 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97–0.99)), low education (medium education, OR: 0.69 (0.50–0.95)), worse self-rated health (OR: 2.00 (1.74–2.30)), and more chronic diseases (OR: 1.15 (1.03–1.27)). The magnitude of depression and anxiety was highlighted. Clinicians should be aware of the factors associated with probable depression and anxiety.

Highlights

Mental disorders can be defined as a behavioral or mental pattern that contributes to the distress or impairment of personal functioning [1]
Clinicians should be aware of the factors associated with probable depression and anxiety
Since we focused on depression and anxiety, repeated cross-sectional data were taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP)-IS from the years

Summary

Introduction

Mental disorders can be defined as a behavioral or mental pattern that contributes to the distress or impairment of personal functioning [1]. National surveys in Europe [4] and the United States [5] have demonstrated that depression and anxiety are frequent mental disorders and are associated with subsequent functional decline [6], frailty [7], or cardiovascular diseases [8]. Both are associated with a tremendous economic burden [9,10,11], e.g., in terms of sick leave days [12]. Individuals with these mental disorders often face stigmatization [17,18]

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Discussion

Conclusion