Prevalence of depressive symptoms and association with sociodemographic factors among the general population in Serbia

Abstract

Background/Aim: Depression is a growing public health concern associated with disability, decreased quality of life, increased multimorbidity, and premature mortality. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the general population of Serbia and to analyse its association with sociodemographic factors. Methods: Data from the 2019 Serbian National Health Survey was analysed (a sample of 12,406 respondents). The questionnaires used in this study were in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Interview Survey - EHIS Wave 3. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) was used to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the population aged ? 15 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were implemented to assess the association of the prevalence of depressive symptoms with sociodemographic characteristics of the population. Results: The prevalence of both mild (7.5% vs. 4.4%) and moderate/severe depressive symptoms (2.6% vs. 1.5%) was higher among women than men, and continuously increased with age (13.6% of adults aged ? 65 years had mild and 5.0% moderate/severe symptoms). The highest rates of moderate/severe depressive symptoms had respondents from Vojvodina (2.7%), those who lived without a partner (2.7%), lower educated (4.4%), and poor (3.4%), with inactive employment status (3.7%) and with poor social support (6.6%). Multivariate analyses showed that the highest odds of depressive symptoms had respondents aged ? 65 years (OR=6.53; 95%CI: 6.37-6.69), in the Vojvodina region, particularly males (OR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.89-2.04), respondents who lived without a partner (OR=1.49, 95%CI: 1.47-1.51), lower educated (OR=2.27; 95%CI: 2.22-2.33) and poor (OR=2.54; 95%CI: 2.49-2.58) as well as those with poor social support (OR=3.71; 95%CI: 3.64-3.77). Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the general population of Serbia was relatively low and requires further monitoring. Female gender, older age, living in the region of Vojvodina, life without a partner, socioeconomic disadvantages, and lack of social support were identified as the main associated factors.