Relationship between vitamin D deficiency and depression among adults in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Recent studies showed a relationship between depression and vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this study was to assess this relationship among adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted using a survey among a convenient sample of adults in Saudi Arabia using PHQ-9 to screen depression for a duration of 3 months. Results: Among 861 participants included in the study, 419 had vitamin D deficiency, and 121 were without vitamin D deficiency. Based on the PHQ-9, depression was more prevalent among participants with vitamin D deficiency (90.4%) in comparison with participants without vitamin D deficiency (70.2%). In the vitamin D deficiency group, moderately severe and severe forms were more abundant in those with vitamin D levels