Ghorbani Sheida, Ghavidel Fatemeh, Abdollahi Sedigheh, Zarepour Pardis, Dehestani FatemehZahra, Saatchi Mohammad, Pouragha Hamidreza, Baigi Vali
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 22;15(1):17796. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02192-8.
Understanding socioeconomic inequalities in health helps identify vulnerable groups and guide targeted interventions. Mental health disorders significantly affect well-being and productivity. This study assessed the prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in depression, anxiety, and stress among employees of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences Employees' Cohort (TEC) baseline phase, comprising 4,442 individuals. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) was utilized to measure mental health disorders. Education level and wealth index were considered as socioeconomic indicators. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were employed to estimate socioeconomic inequality. The age-adjusted prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 8.7%, 8.6%, and 11.5%, respectively. The relative wealth-related inequality analysis revealed that, after adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and education level, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the lowest wealth index was 2.54, 2.89, and 1.65 times higher than in the highest wealth index, respectively. Additionally, the relative education-related inequality analysis indicated that, adjusted for age, sex, marital status, and wealth index, individuals with primary education or no formal education had 2.58, 2.99, and 2.14 times higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to those with a doctoral degree, respectively. Significant disparities in the prevalence of mental health disorders were found across educational and wealth index levels. Targeted interventions and policies should aim to achieve and sustain long-term benefits for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
了解健康方面的社会经济不平等有助于识别弱势群体并指导有针对性的干预措施。心理健康障碍会显著影响幸福感和生产力。本研究评估了德黑兰医科大学员工中抑郁症、焦虑症和压力的患病率及社会经济不平等情况。这项横断面研究分析了德黑兰医科大学员工队列（TEC）基线阶段的数据，该阶段共有4442人。使用抑郁、焦虑和压力量表-42（DASS-42）来测量心理健康障碍。教育水平和财富指数被视为社会经济指标。不平等斜率指数（SII）和不平等相对指数（RII）用于估计社会经济不平等。年龄调整后的抑郁症、焦虑症和压力患病率分别为8.7%、8.6%和11.5%。与财富相关的相对不平等分析显示，在调整年龄、性别、婚姻状况和教育水平后，最低财富指数组中抑郁症、焦虑症和压力的患病率分别比最高财富指数组高2.54倍、2.89倍和1.65倍。此外，与教育相关的相对不平等分析表明，在调整年龄、性别、婚姻状况和财富指数后，小学学历或未接受正规教育的个体患抑郁症、焦虑症和压力的患病率分别是博士学位个体的2.58倍、2.99倍和2.14倍。在教育水平和财富指数层面发现了心理健康障碍患病率的显著差异。有针对性的干预措施和政策应旨在为弱势群体和处境不利群体实现并维持长期效益。
