Prevalence and associated factors of depression among general population in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A community-based survey

Abstract Objective This study investigates the prevalence of depression and its predictors among the general population in Al-Ahsa, a city in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2015 to January 2016 at three of the biggest shopping malls in Al-Ahsa. Depression was assessed with an Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Logistic regression was conducted to determine the predictors of depression. Adjusted odds ratios (ORa) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Results The prevalence of depression was 8.6% (95% CI: 7.8–9.4%) among 5172 participants in the study. A depression diagnosis was significantly associated with being female (9.7% vs. 7.2%; p = .002), low education level (11.3% vs. 7.5%; p = .0001), and unemployment (9.2% vs. 6.9%; p = .014). However, no significant association was observed between depression and age, marital status, monthly income or place of living. Multiple logistic regression analyses suggest that the main predictors of depression were having difficulties at work and home (ORa = 5.8; 95% CI: 4.20–8.05; p Conclusion The prevalence of depression in Al-Ahsa is lower than in other regions of Saudi Arabia. Lower education level, being female or unemployed appear to be the most important risk factors for depression.