Impact of Gender on the Prevalence of Depression in the Population of Quetta, Pakistan

Background: Depression is one of the most prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorders in the world. Women are more likely to suffer from depression compared with men.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of depression symptoms among the population and the relationships between gender and depressive symptoms along with severity level.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June 2020 to March 2021 in a different area of Quetta city.

Methodology: A total of 502 participants (female 274, male 228) with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years. The study used Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-9) which are already validated (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.844) and available online, along with the questionnaire; certain demographic characteristics are also added to measure the symptoms of depression. SPSS Version 26. Mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, Chi-square test and Man Whitney U- test were applied for statistical analysis.

Results: The results showed that 316 (63%) participants were reported having depressive symptoms. Of these 316 participants, 166 (33.1%) persons were suffering from mild, 87 (17.3%) from moderate, and 63 (12.6%) from severe depression symptoms out of all those who had symptoms of depression 195(61%) were female. Further it is disclosed that gender is statistically significant demographic characters that influence the prevalence of depression p < 0.01.

Conclusion: Study concluded that gender had a significant role on depression and the increase number of females suggest that female having more depression as compare to males.