Depression is globally recognized as a major mental health problem in all age categories, particularly among those living in poor economic conditions and with low levels of education, including the hill tribe people in northern Thailand. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression and determine the factors associated with depression in the hill tribe population aged 40 and over in northern Thailand. Hill tribe people who lived in the selected villages and met the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study. A validated questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used for data collection. An interview was conducted in a private and confidential room in the selected villages between January and April 2019. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with depression at a significance level of α = 0.05. A total of 601 participants were recruited into the study. More than half (64.23%) were women, 46.76% were Akha, 61.90% were aged 40–59 years, and 76.37% were married. Half of the participants were Christian (57.07%) and had no monthly income (51.25%), and 85% were illiterate. The overall prevalence of depression was 39.10%: 75.74% had mild depression, 17.88% had moderate depression, and 6.38% had severe depression. In the multivariate model, three variables were found to be associated with depression: being female, having a history of substance abuse, and experiencing stress six months prior. Compared to men, women were 2.09 times (95% CI 1.30–3.35) more likely to have depression. Those who had a history of substance abuse were more likely to have depression than those who did not have a history of substance abuse (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI 1.25–3.10). Those who had a history of stress in the prior 6 months were more likely to have depression than those who did not (AOR = 6.43; 95% CI 4.20–9.85). Public health screening programs to identify depression in the hill tribe population are urgently needed, particularly for women, those who have abused psychoactive substances, and those who have experienced stress.

中文翻译：

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泰国北部 40 岁及以上山地部落人口抑郁症的患病率和相关因素

抑郁症被全球公认为所有年龄段的主要心理健康问题，尤其是那些生活在经济条件差和教育水平低的人中，包括泰国北部的山地部落人。这项横断面研究旨在估计泰国北部 40 岁及以上山地部落人口中抑郁症的患病率并确定与抑郁症相关的因素。居住在选定村庄并符合纳入标准的山地部落人被邀请参加研究。经验证的问卷和患者健康问卷 9 (PHQ-9) 用于数据收集。2019 年 1 月至 4 月期间，在选定村庄的私人保密房间进行了采访。Logistic 回归用于在 α = 0.05 的显着性水平上确定与抑郁相关的因素。该研究共招募了 601 名参与者。超过一半（64.23%）为女性，46.76% 为阿卡族，61.90% 为 40-59 岁，76.37% 已婚。一半的参与者是基督徒 (57.07%)，没有月收入 (51.25%)，85% 是文盲。抑郁症的总体患病率为39.10%：轻度抑郁症占75.74%，中度抑郁症占17.88%，重度抑郁症占6.38%。在多变量模型中，发现三个变量与抑郁症有关：女性、有药物滥用史和六个月前经历过压力。与男性相比，女性患抑郁症的可能性是男性的 2.09 倍（95% CI 1.30–3.35）。有药物滥用史的人比没有药物滥用史的人更容易患抑郁症（AOR = 1.97；95% CI 1.25–3.10）。在过去 6 个月内有压力史的人比没有压力史的人更容易患抑郁症（AOR = 6.43；95% CI 4.20–9.85）。迫切需要公共卫生筛查计划来识别山地部落人口中的抑郁症，特别是对于妇女、滥用精神活性物质的人和经历过压力的人。