The prevalence of depression and its correlates in garment factory employees in Hambantota District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction and objectives Garment factory employees are a high-risk population for depression in developing Asian countries. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of depression and its association with selected socio-demographic, occupational, personal and family factors in garment factory workers in Hambantota district. Method A cross sectional study using multi stage random sampling was conducted following ethical approval by a recognized ethics review committee. General Health Questionnaire-12 and Beck Depression Inventory–II, previously validated for the Sri Lankan population were used to screen for depression. A specifically designed data collection form was also administered after written informed consent by trained investigators. Results Out of a total sample of 390, the majority were females (n=325, 83.3%). The mean age was 32.9 years (SD 10.45 years). The estimated point prevalence of depression in the study sample was 17.2 % (95 % CI=13.3-21.8%). Depression was associated with presence of a chronic medical condition (OR-3.15, CI 1.53-6.44, p=0.002), family history of psychiatric illness (OR-5.57, CI 2.31-13.47, p<0.001), history of deliberate self-harm (OR-11.23, CI 5.03-25.04, p<0.001), history of psychiatric illness (OR-6.12, CI 2.39-15.73, p<0.001), and being divorced or separated from their partner(OR-3.39, CI 1.51-7.58, p=0.003). The only job-related factor which showed an association with depression was working extra duty hours (CI 1.01-3.02, p=0.04). Conclusions The prevalence of depression among garment factory employees in Hambantota district is higher in comparison to other populations in Sri Lanka. However, it is lower in comparison to garment factory populations in other developing Asian countries.