Faruk Md Omar, Nijhum Rehnuma Pervin, Khatun Mosammat N, Powell Graham E
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2021 Aug 31;8:e34. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2021.33. eCollection 2021.
The mental health status of indigenous people in Bangladesh has attracted little or no attention. The objective of the present study is to determine the extent of symptoms of anxiety and depression in the two largest indigenous communities in Bangladesh.
In total, 240 participants were recruited, 120 from each of the Marma and Chakma communities with an overall mean age of 44.09 years (s.d. 15.73). Marma people were older (mean ages 48.92 . 39.25, < 0.001). Participants completed the Anxiety Scale (AS) and Depression Scale (DS) that have been developed and standardised in Bangladesh in the Bangla (Bengali) language.
Results indicated that anxiety and depression scores were elevated in both communities, 59.2% of the participants scoring above the cut-off for clinical significance on AS and 58.8% of the participants scoring above the cut-off for clinical significance on DS. Marma people compared to Chakma people were more anxious ( = 59.49 . 43.00, < 0.001) and more depressed ( = 106.78 . 82.30, < 0.001). The demographic variables of age, sex and socioeconomic status were weakly or inconsistently related to scores. In the Marma people, females scored higher on both AS and DS, but in the Chakma community, males scored higher on AS and the same on DS.
The finding of significant anxiety and depression in communities with such limited mental health services is a matter of concern and emphasises the need to formulate and implement appropriate mental health policies for indigenous people in Bangladesh and other parts of the world.
孟加拉国原住民的心理健康状况很少或几乎没有受到关注。本研究的目的是确定孟加拉国两个最大的原住民社区中焦虑和抑郁症状的程度。
总共招募了240名参与者，其中120名来自马尔马族和查克马族，总体平均年龄为44.09岁（标准差15.73）。马尔马族人年龄较大（平均年龄48.92岁对39.25岁，P<0.001）。参与者完成了在孟加拉国用孟加拉语开发并标准化的焦虑量表（AS）和抑郁量表（DS）。
结果表明，两个社区的焦虑和抑郁得分均升高，59.2%的参与者在AS上得分高于临床意义的临界值，58.8%的参与者在DS上得分高于临床意义的临界值。与查克马族人相比，马尔马族人更焦虑（P=59.49对43.00，P<0.001）且更抑郁（P=106.78对82.30，P<0.001）。年龄、性别和社会经济地位等人口统计学变量与得分的相关性较弱或不一致。在马尔马族人中，女性在AS和DS上得分更高，但在查克马族社区，男性在AS上得分更高，在DS上得分相同。
在心理健康服务如此有限的社区中发现显著的焦虑和抑郁令人担忧，并强调有必要为孟加拉国及世界其他地区的原住民制定和实施适当的心理健康政策。
