Socioeconomic determinants of depressive symptoms in a Polish population

Previous community research has shown a relationship between the incidence of depression and demographic and socio-economic factors in various countries, however, data on Polish population are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the severity of depressive symptoms and their relationship with selected demographic and economic variables among adult residents of Poland. Determinants of prevalence of depressive symptoms were based on the results of a cross-sectional study of a random sample of the Polish population (647 women and 579 men). The presence of depressive symptoms was assessed based on the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire. The relationship between presence and severity of depression and demographic and socioeconomic parameters (such as marital status, education, income level, economic activity, self-declared health status) was assessed. Symptoms of depression were found in nearly 40% of respondents, more often among women (47.76%) than men (31.78%). High scores on depressive tendencies were associated with low level of education, low personal income, precarious job situation, low health self-evaluation. The lowest rates of depression were among the unmarried and the highest among the widowed and divorced. Depressive episodes were highly prevalent in the studied group. The study showed the association between depressive tendencies and demographic and socioeconomic variables, thus identifying predictors which might be used to identify individuals at higher risk of developing depression, e.g. women with low socioeconomic status.