Depression symptoms in rural women: Sociodemographic, economic, behavioral, and reproductive factors

Abstract

Objective: To identify depression symptoms and the influence of sociodemographic, economic, behavioral, and reproductive health variables on the score of depression symptoms in women of childbearing age living in the rural area of the municipality of Uberaba, state of Minas Gerais. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study with 280 women. Beck's Depression Inventory was used. Student's t-test and Pearson correlation were used in the bivariate analysis. Multiple linear regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 18.2% of the participants was classified as presenting depression symptoms. The mean score was 8.3 points. Women that reported a "poor" relationship with their partner presented the highest scores of depression symptoms, and the number of children was a predictor of these symptoms. Conclusion: Most participants presented no depression symptoms. Behavioral and reproductive factors were associated with depression symptoms among rural women.