Depression and its associated factors among prisoners in East Gojjam Zone prisons, Northwest Ethiopia: a multi-centered cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prevalence and risk factors for depression in this vulnerable population around the world, including Ethiopia. Furthermore, information on the health of inmates is limited. The study sought to assess the prevalence and associated factors for depression among prisoners in the East Gojjam Zone of Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in East Gojjam Zone prisons. Data were gathered from 462 eligible prisoners who were chosen using a computer-generated simple random sampling technique. The patient health questionnaire nine was used to assess an individual's depression level. The information was entered into Epi-Data Version 4.2 and exported to STATA Version 14.1 for further analysis. Variables with a P < 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistics regression were considered significant. RESULTS: In this study the prevalence of depression among prisoners was 50.43% (95% CI 46–55%). Having work inside prison (AOR 0.6, CI 0.37–0.96), have no history of mental illness (AOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.16–0.85), had monthly income greater than 1500 birr (AOR 0.16, CI 0.05–0.5), Not thinking about the life after prison (AOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.27–0.64), and Prisoners who are sentenced for more than 5 years (AOR 2.2, CI 1.2–4), were significantly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: According to this study, half of the prisoners in East Gojjam Zone prisons had depressive symptoms. Prisons should place a greater emphasis on the mental health of prisoners who have been sentenced for a long time, those who have a history of mental illness, and those who have no work in the prison. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40001-022-00766-0.