Abstract

THE EFFECT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE EMPLOYEES IN RIYADH REGION, SAUDI ARABIA

Ahmed AlEidan*, Turki AlJohani and Elsadig Yousif Mohamed

Abstract

Background: Mental health and socioeconomic status are important determinants of an individual’s wellbeing. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of socioeconomic status on mental health among Riyadh region population, Saudi Arabia. Methods and materials: It was an institutional-based descriptive study. Data were gathered from 208 participants aged 25 years and above, from both Majmaah and Riyadh cities. Data was collected by a pre-coded and pre-tested questionnaire which was consisting of two main domains that subdivided into three different questionnaires (Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale, PHQ-9 Questionnaire for Depression and GAD-7 Questionnaire for Anxiety) to assess the degree of interaction between socioeconomic status and mental health. Ethical approval and consent were obtained. Data was analyzed by SPSS. Results: Most of the participants were of upper middle class (57.7%), euthymic or non-depressed (72.6%) and non-anxious (83.7%). On the other hand (27.4%) and (16.3%) of the participants had depression and anxiety respectively. Females were more anxious than males (p>0.003, 9.1%) while males suffered from depression more than females (p>0.046, 15.4%). In our study, social class, age, educational level, employment status and monthly income were statically non-significant with depression and anxiety. Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of anxiety and depression is high among the population of Riyadh and Majmaah of Saudi Arabia. Depression and anxiety are associated with gender; males are mostly affected than females by depression while females compared to males are mostly affected by anxiety.

Keywords: Socio economic status, anxiety, depression.