Trend in the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Brazil

Results from the Brazilian National Health Survey 2013 and 2019

Bibliographic Data

ID5225729
AuthorsClaudia De Souza Lopes (0000-0002-0401-689X, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Nayara Lopes Gomes (0000-0001-9743-9850, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Washington Junger (0000-0002-6394-6587, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Paulo Rossi Menezes (0000-0001-6330-3314, Universidade de São Paulo)
Year2022
Volume38
Issuesuppl 1
Pagese00123421-e00123421
Publication date2022-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCadernos de Saude Publica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0102-311X • E-ISSN: 1678-4464
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/0102-311x00123421
PMID35544918
OpenAlexW4285208996
SCIELO_PIDS0102-311X2022001305003
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited38

This study aims to evaluate national variation in depression prevalence and in different sociodemographic groups, health behaviors, and macroregions of Brazil from 2013 to 2019. Data were obtained from two nationwide Brazilian surveys - Brazilian National Health Survey 2013 and 2019. Participants aged 18 years or older were included, totaling 60,202 individuals in 2013 and 88,531 in 2019. Depression was evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). All estimations accounted for the population weights and the complex sampling. The findings showed that during the six years between the two surveys, the prevalence of depression in Brazil increased by 36.7%, going from 7.9% in 2013 to 10.8% in 2019, and this increase is higher among unemployed young adults, aged 18 to 24 years, with the increase in the prevalence of depression almost tripled (3.7 in 2013 and 10.3 in 2019), an increase of 178.4%. Those dwelling in urban areas had a higher increase in the prevalence of depression in the six-year period (39.8%) when compared to residents in rural areas (20.2%). There was an increase in the prevalence of depression from 2013 to 2019 for the worst categories of the three health behaviors included in the study for both men and women: heavy drinking, smoking, and not exercising the recommended level of physical activity. Our results show a significant increase in the prevalence of depression over the six years between the two surveys, mainly among the younger and unemployed men. The country's economic recession during this period may explain these findings

Anxiety · Depression (economics) · Depressive symptoms · Environmental health · Patient Health Questionnaire · Population · Prevalence · Psychiatry · Demography · Employment and Welfare Studies · Epidemiology · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Gerontology