Abstract:

Objective   To study the prevalence of depression symptoms in the partial rural residents in Laiwu city of Shandong province of China and the influencing factors, and provide the basis for subsequent early warning and community intervention. Methods   The residents in Laiwu City of Shandong province were randomly selected as investigation subjects by using cluster sampling  approach．Both Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale (CES-D) and selfdesigned questionnaire about risk factors were used to assess depression patients. Results   The total occurrence rate of the depression symptoms in the partial rural residents in Laiwu city was 12.15%. The age, dwelling condition, marital status, educational level showed higher levels of depression symptoms compared with their demographic counterparts (P<0.01). Through Logistic stepwise regression analysis about the multiple factors, the factors with statistical significance were screened out: cohabitation with family members or others, support from family members, and regular social activities were protective factors; while physical disease, toxic disease, the history of cerebral disease, strenuous manual labor, excessive use of the brain, the history of mental illness, and psychological damage were the risk factors for depression symptoms. Conclusion   The prevalence of depression symptoms of partial rural residents in Laiwu city of Shandong province is relatively high. Positive and effective interventions should be taken to improve the mental health status of rural residents.

Key words: Rural residents; Depression; Risk factors; Psychological damage; History of mental illness