Prevalence of Depression and its Association with Sociodemographic Factors in Postmenopausal Women in an Urban Resettlement Colony of Delhi

BACKGROUND: Menopause is defined as the time of cessation of ovarian function resulting in permanent amenorrhea. Menopause is associated with various symptoms such as physical, vasomotor, sexual, and psychological symptoms. Depression is a common symptom in postmenopausal women as menopause is associated with the end of the fertile period of a women's life. Menopause is an important subject to study as due to increase in life expectancy and improved health care delivery number of postmenopausal women is significantly increasing. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of depression and its association with sociodemographic factors in postmenopausal women in an urban resettlement colony of Delhi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 580 postmenopausal women who were resident of Gokulpuri in North-East Delhi, using a predesigned, pretested, and semi-structured interview schedule. Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) scale was used to find out the prevalence of depression. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-22 version. RESULTS: In our study, 58.4% postmenopausal women were normal with no depression, 38.3% were in a mild depression, and 3.3% women were having moderate depression. Depression was more prevalent in women belonging to the younger age group, lower socioeconomic status, and illiterate women. Furthermore, the prevalence of depression was more in women who were divorced or widow. CONCLUSIONS: Study revealed prevalence of depression in significant number of postmenopausal women. To improve the quality of life of women in postmenopausal period, diagnosis of depression and relevant influencing factors is important.