kilkkinen-prevalenceof-2007.pdf (69.05 kB)
Prevalence of psychological distress, anxiety and depression in rural communities in Australia
journal contribution
posted on 2007-04-01, 00:00 authored by A Kilkkinen, A Kao-Philpot, Adrienne O'Neil, Benjamin Philpot, Prasuna Reddy, S Bunker, James DunbarJames DunbarObjective: To describe the prevalence of psychological distress, depression and anxiety in three Australian rural settings and to identify the levels of risk by gender and age.
Design and setting: Three cross-sectional surveys in the Greater Green Triangle area covering the south-east of South Australia (Limestone Coast), and south-west (Corangamite Shire) and north-west (Wimmera) of Victoria.
Participants: A total of 1563 people, aged 25–74 years, randomly selected from the electoral roll.
Main outcome measures: Psychological distress assessed by the Kessler 10, and anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Results: The prevalence of psychological distress was 31% for both men and women with two-thirds reporting moderate and one-third high levels of psychological distress. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was approximately 10%. The highest rate of psychological distress, anxiety and depression occurred in the 45–54 years age group. There were no consistent gender or area differences in the prevalence of psychological distress, depression or anxiety.
Conclusions: A third of the rural population reported psychological distress, with the highest prevalence observed in middle-aged men and women. Thus, health professionals should attend not only to physical health, but also to mental health status in this age group. It is also important to target prevention strategies at the 20% who reported moderate levels of psychological distress in order to prevent the development of more serious conditions.
Design and setting: Three cross-sectional surveys in the Greater Green Triangle area covering the south-east of South Australia (Limestone Coast), and south-west (Corangamite Shire) and north-west (Wimmera) of Victoria.
Participants: A total of 1563 people, aged 25–74 years, randomly selected from the electoral roll.
Main outcome measures: Psychological distress assessed by the Kessler 10, and anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Results: The prevalence of psychological distress was 31% for both men and women with two-thirds reporting moderate and one-third high levels of psychological distress. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was approximately 10%. The highest rate of psychological distress, anxiety and depression occurred in the 45–54 years age group. There were no consistent gender or area differences in the prevalence of psychological distress, depression or anxiety.
Conclusions: A third of the rural population reported psychological distress, with the highest prevalence observed in middle-aged men and women. Thus, health professionals should attend not only to physical health, but also to mental health status in this age group. It is also important to target prevention strategies at the 20% who reported moderate levels of psychological distress in order to prevent the development of more serious conditions.
History
Journal
Australian journal of rural healthVolume
15Issue
2Pagination
114 - 119Publisher
Blackwell Publishing AsiaLocation
Carlton, Vic.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1038-5282eISSN
1440-1584Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2007, Greater Health, & National Rural Health Alliance Inc. (journal comompilation)Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC