ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: The tribal populations are vulnerable to mental health issues owing to various reasons. However, limited research has been conducted to assess depression and related determinants among tribal adults aged ≥45 yr (45 years and older). The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and sociodemographic and health determinants of depressive symptoms among the scheduled tribe (ST) population aged ≥45 yr in India. METHODS: The present study analyzed the Wave I data of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India conducted between April 2017 to December 2018. The outcome variables in the present study were self-reported depressive symptoms. Two internationally recognised tools, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (CIDI-SF), were used to obtain the data, however, only the CES-D data are utilized in this study. The present study focused on 12,215 ST individuals aged ≥45 yr from whom information about depressive symptoms was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Nearly 25 per cent ST population aged 45 yr or older experienced depressive symptoms. The likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms among the ST population aged ≥45 yr was negatively associated with 10 or more years of education and living with children and others and positively associated with experiencing multiple morbidity conditions. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS: Given the substantial burden of depression among the adult ST population, the present study lays emphasis on raising the awareness about depressive symptoms and strengthen the availability of mental health services among the ST community through intensive campaigns and engagement of ST individuals along with other key stakeholders. Higher education, living with spouse and children and a physically active lifestyle can play a crucial role in limiting depressive symptoms among the tribal adults (≥45 yr). It is paramount to regularly screen depressive symptoms and conduct more microlevel studies to evaluate socioeconomic and health determinants of depressive symptoms among ST communities living in different geographic regions.
Subject(s)
Aging , Depression , Humans , Asian People , Depression/epidemiology , India/epidemiology , Self Report , Middle AgedABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The hijra and transgender (H/TG) population in India is vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. India had instituted a targeted intervention (TI) program to reduce this vulnerability. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of the TI program for H/TG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Integrated Behavioral and Biological Survey (IBBS) was carried out in 2014-15. H/TG data from IBBS was analyzed. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to calculate the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence interval. Condom use during the last sexual intercourse, and the consistent condom use in the last one month were considered as indicators of program effectiveness. The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method was used to assess the effectiveness. RESULTS: We found that the participants who had received condoms from peer educator/outreach worker were 1.74 and 1.40 times more likely to use condoms in the last sexual intercourse (aOR: 1.74, CI: 1.35 - 2.26) and consistent condom use in the last one month (aOR: 1.40, CI: 1.12 - 1.74) respectively compared to the participants who did not receive the condom. The matched-samples estimate (i.e., average treatment effect on treated) for the condom use during the last sexual intercourse increased by 13.0%, i.e., 0.13 (CI; 0.08 - 0.18) and consistent condom use in the last one month increased by 5.0%, i.e., 0.05 (CI; 0.00 - 0.10) among those who had received condoms from the peer educator/outreach worker compared with those who had not received condom, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The TI program intervention for H/TG was effective in reducing HIV risk behavior as evidenced by increase in use of condom during last sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use in the last one month.