[Diagnosis of depression in Sub-Saharan immigrants]. / Diagnóstico de depresión en inmigrantes subsaharianos.

OBJECTIVE: The migratory process, its social-demographic characteristics, and the lack of integration into the social and health networks of Sub-Saharan immigrants could favour an increase in mental health-related pathology. The objective is to find the prevalence of depression among this population and its risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive survey. SETTING: Community of Madrid, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Sub-Saharan immigrants over 18 years old who attended 2 "Health Care Programmes for immigrants in the Community of Madrid" between August 2003 and February 2004. MEASUREMENTS: Semi-structured interviews (DSM-IV criteria) conducted by trained staff and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to diagnose depression. RESULTS: Of 606 Sub-Saharan immigrants, 55.45% were men. Average age was 27 +/- 6.61. Depression diagnosis was 5.4% (95% CI, 3.78-7.56). There was greater risk of depression among those immigrants who had lived in Spain for over 2 years (13.1%), among those who had children (10.7%), and among those with certain health problems, such as muscle and skeletal trouble (18.9%), gastro-intestinal problems (18.8%), neurology problems (17.4%), dermatology problems (20.5%) and fatigue (70.6%). Six percent of immigrants with depression took pharmacological treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression among Sub-Saharan immigrants is similar to that of the native population. There is an increase as they stay longer in our country, probably due to their social and economic situation, which over time can act as a chronic stress factor. The other main fact is the lack of treatment of immigrants diagnosed with depression.

Diagnóstico de depresión en inmigrantes subsaharianos / Diagnosis of depression in sub-saharan immigrants

Objetivo. El proceso migratorio, las características sociodemográficas y la falta de integración en las redes sociales y sanitarias de la población procedente de África subsahariana podrían favorecer un aumento de las enfermedades relacionadas con la salud mental. El objetivo es conocer la prevalencia de depresión en esta población y sus factores de riesgo. Diseño. Estudio descriptivo, transversal. Emplazamiento. Comunidad de Madrid. Participantes. Inmigrantes subsaharianos mayores de 18 años que han acudido a 2 «Programas de Atención Sociosanitaria a Inmigrantes de la Comunidad de Madrid» durante el período comprendido entre agosto de 2003 y febrero de 2004. Mediciones. Para el diagnóstico de depresión se realizaron entevistas semiestructuradas (criterios DSM-IV) por personas entrenadas y el Inventario de Depresión de Beck. Resultados. En total participaron 606 inmigrantes subsaharianos (el 55,4%, varones). Edad media de 27 ± 6,61 años. Diagnóstico de depresión en un 5,4% (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%, 3,78-7,56). Se presenta más riesgo de depresión en personas que llevan más de 2 años viviendo en España (13,1%), entre los que tienen hijos (10,7%) y entre los que tienen ciertos problemas de salud, como osteomusculares (18,9%), gastrointestinales (18,8%), neurológicos (17,4%), dermatológicos (20,5%) y astenia (70,6%). Un 6% de los diagnosticados de depresión sigue tratamiento farmacológico. Conclusiones. La prevalencia de depresión entre esta población no es superior a la de la población de origen. Se observa un aumento de la incidencia con el paso del tiempo, probablemente debido a la situación socioeconómica en la que se encuentran, que al prolongarse en el tiempo puede actuar como factor estresante crónico. Otro dato importante es la falta de tratamiento en los diagnosticados de depresión

Objective. The migratory process, its social-demographic characteristics, and the lack of integration into the social and health networks of Sub-Saharan immigrants could favour an increase in mental health-related pathology. The objective is to find the prevalence of depression among this population and its risk factors. Design. Cross-sectional, descriptive survey. Setting. Community of Madrid, Spain. Participants. Sub-Saharan immigrants over 18 years old who attended 2 "Health Care Programmes for immigrants in the Community of Madrid" between August 2003 and February 2004. Measurements. Semi-structured interviews (DSM-IV criteria) conducted by trained staff and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to diagnose depression. Results. Of 606 Sub-Saharan immigrants, 55.45% were men. Average age was 27±6.61. Depression diagnosis was 5.4% (95% CI, 3.78-7.56). There was greater risk of depression among those immigrants who had lived in Spain for over 2 years (13.1%), among those who had children (10.7%), and among those with certain health problems, such as muscle and skeletal trouble (18.9%), gastro-intestinal problems (18.8%), neurology problems (17.4%), dermatology problems (20.5%) and fatigue (70.6%). Six percent of immigrants with depression took pharmacological treatment. Conclusions. The prevalence of depression among Sub-Saharan immigrants is similar to that of the native population. There is an increase as they stay longer in our country, probably due to their social and economic situation, which over time can act as a chronic stress factor. The other main fact is the lack of treatment of immigrants diagnosed with depression