Common Mental Disorders in rural “quilombolas” in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this article is to assess the prevalence and factors associated with Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in “quilombolas” (Afro-Brazilian residents of quilombo settlements) in rural communities located in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a cross-sectional study of 2019 based on structured interviews and application of a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Binary logistic regression was conducted. The prevalence of CMD was 38.7%. There was a higher preponderance of CMD among female quilombolas (OR: 2.69; 95%CI 2.00-3.62), with 1 to 8 years of schooling (OR: 1.70; 95%CI 1.15-2,51), family income of 1 to 1,5 minimum wages (OR: 2.51; 95%CI 1.60-3.94); who suffered discrimination in health services (OR: 2.44; 95%CI 1.44-4.13); with self-reported lung disease (OR: 2.10; 95%CI 1.25-3.54), heart disease (OR: 1.58; 95%CI 1.012.50) chronic renal failure (OR: 1.97; 95%CI 1.08-3.94), and negative self-perception of health (OR: 3.07; 95%CI 2.31-4.07). The high prevalence of CMD revealed in this study demonstrates the need for mental health care policies aimed at vulnerable populations, such as quilombola communities, in order to mitigate mental suffering and promote professional contextualized care for the idiosyncrasies of health and living conditions of this population group.