[Diagnosis of depression in Sub-Saharan immigrants].

OBJECTIVE

The migratory process, its social-demographic characteristics, and the lack of integration into the social and health networks of Sub-Saharan immigrants could favour an increase in mental health-related pathology. The objective is to find the prevalence of depression among this population and its risk factors.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, descriptive survey.

SETTING

Community of Madrid, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

Sub-Saharan immigrants over 18 years old who attended 2 "Health Care Programmes for immigrants in the Community of Madrid" between August 2003 and February 2004.

MEASUREMENTS

Semi-structured interviews (DSM-IV criteria) conducted by trained staff and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to diagnose depression.

RESULTS

Of 606 Sub-Saharan immigrants, 55.45% were men. Average age was 27 +/- 6.61. Depression diagnosis was 5.4% (95% CI, 3.78-7.56). There was greater risk of depression among those immigrants who had lived in Spain for over 2 years (13.1%), among those who had children (10.7%), and among those with certain health problems, such as muscle and skeletal trouble (18.9%), gastro-intestinal problems (18.8%), neurology problems (17.4%), dermatology problems (20.5%) and fatigue (70.6%). Six percent of immigrants with depression took pharmacological treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of depression among Sub-Saharan immigrants is similar to that of the native population. There is an increase as they stay longer in our country, probably due to their social and economic situation, which over time can act as a chronic stress factor. The other main fact is the lack of treatment of immigrants diagnosed with depression.