J Korean Med Sci.  2013 Jan;28(1):128-135. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.1.128.

Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adults: Results of a 2009 Korean Community Health Survey

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. jhnama@hanyang.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in the largest number of Korean individuals examined to date. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 229,595 Korean adults aged 19 yr and above who participated in a Korean Community Health Survey conducted in 2009. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used as the measurement tool for depressive symptoms (CES-D score over 16) and definite depression (CES-D score over 25). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associations between sociodemographic factors and depressive symptoms. The percentages of depressive symptoms and definite depression in the total study population were 11% (7.8% for men, 14.0% for women) and 3.7%, (2.4% for men, 5.0% for women), respectively. Female gender, older age, disrupted marital status, low education and income level, multigenerational household composition and metropolitan residence were associated with greater risk of depressive symptoms. The present study provides a valid prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms, using the largest representative sample of the Korean general population to date. Various sociodemographic factors contribute to the prevalence and effects of depressive symptoms in Korea.

Keyword

Depression; Epidemiology; Prevalence; Socioeconomic Factors

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression/*epidemiology
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Marital Status
Middle Aged
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Social Class
Socioeconomic Factors
Young Adult

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Prevalence of depressive symptoms according to age group.


Cited by  4 articles

Association between Voiding Dysfunction and Depression
Jung Woo Lee, Hong Sang Moon
Hanyang Med Rev. 2014;34(2):87-90.    doi: 10.7599/hmr.2014.34.2.87.

Factors Influencing Depressive Symptoms in Community Dwelling Older People
Jung Nam Sohn
J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2013;22(2):107-116.    doi: 10.12934/jkpmhn.2013.22.2.107.

Trends in the Prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder by Sociodemographic Factors in Korea: Results from Nationwide General Population Surveys in 2001, 2006, and 2011
Jimin Lee, Hyerim Kim, Jin Pyo Hong, Seong-Jin Cho, Jun-Young Lee, Hong Jin Jeon, Byung-Soo Kim, Sung Man Chang
J Korean Med Sci. 2021;36(39):e244.    doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e244.

Depression and Quality of Life in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Sung Hae Chang, Ja Hyun Cho, Na Hee Shin, Hye Jin Oh, Byoong Yong Choi, Myeong Jae Yoon, Eun Young Lee, Eun Bong Lee, Yun Jong Lee, Tae Jin Lee, Bong Jin Hahm, Young Wook Song
J Rheum Dis. 2015;22(6):346-355.    doi: 10.4078/jrd.2015.22.6.346.


Reference

1. Lopez AD, Murray CC. The global burden of disease, 1990-2020. Nat Med. 1998. 4:1241–1243.
2. Ustun TB, Ayuso-Mateos JL, Chatterji S, Mathers C, Murray CJ. Global burden of depressive disorders in the year 2000. Br J Psychiatry. 2004. 184:386–392.
3. Jeon HJ. Epidemiologic studies on depression and suicide. J Korean Med Assoc. 2012. 55:322–328.
4. Cho MJ, Chang SM, Hahm BJ, Chung IW, Bae A, Lee YM, Ahn JH, Won SH, Son J, Hong JP, et al. Prevalence and correlates of major mental disorders among Korean adults: a 2006 National Epidemiologic Survey. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2009. 48:143–152.
5. Cho MJ, Kim JK, Jeon HJ, Suh T, Chung IW, Hong JP, Bae JN, Lee DW, Park JI, Cho SJ, et al. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders among Korean adults. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2007. 195:203–210.
6. Cho MJ, Nam JJ, Suh GH. Prevalence of symptoms of depression in a nationwide sample of Korean adults. Psychiatry Res. 1998. 81:341–352.
7. Ohayon MM, Hong SC. Prevalence of major depressive disorder in the general population of South Korea. J Psychiatr Res. 2006. 40:30–36.
8. Kim YT, Choi BY, Lee KO, Kim H, Chun JH, Kim SY, Lee DH, Ghim YA, Lim DS, Kang YW, et al. Overview of Korean Community Health Survey. J Korean Med Assoc. 2012. 55:74–83.
9. Cho MJ, Kim KH. Diagnostic validity of the CES-D (Korean version) in the assessment of DSM-III-R major depression. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 1993. 32:381–399.
10. Rim H, Kim H, Lee K, Chang S, Hovell MF, Kim YT, Kim Y, Kang G, Tak Y, Im J. Validity of self-reported healthcare utilization data in the Community Health Survey in Korea. J Korean Med Sci. 2011. 26:1409–1414.
11. Radloff LS. The CES-D scale: a self report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psych Meas. 1977. 1:385–401.
12. Park JH, Kim KW. A review of the epidemiology of depression in Korea. J Korean Med Assoc. 2011. 54:362–369.
13. Piccinelli M, Wilkinson G. Gender differences in depression. Critical review. Br J Psychiatry. 2000. 177:486–492.
14. Jang Y, Kim G, Chiriboga D. Acculturation and manifestation of depressive symptoms among Korean-American older adults. Aging Ment Health. 2005. 9:500–507.
15. Lee JJ, Kim KW, Kim TH, Park JH, Lee SB, Park JW, McQuoid DR, Steffens DC. Cross-cultural considerations in administering the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale. Gerontology. 2011. 57:455–461.
16. Kim E, Jo SA, Hwang JY, Shin C, Kim DK, Woo EK, Kim SS, Shin KR, Jo I. A survey of depressive symptoms among South Korean adults after the Korean financial crisis of late 1997: prevalence and correlates. Ann Epidemiol. 2005. 15:145–152.
17. Kim MD, Hong SC, Lee CI, Kwak YS, Shin TK, Jang YH, Oh EH, Lee JW, Jeon BH, Hwang SE. Prevalence of depression and correlates of depressive symptoms for residents in the urban part of Jeju Island, Korea. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2007. 53:123–134.
18. Young E, Korszun A. Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression. Mol Psychiatry. 2010. 15:23–28.
19. O'Hara MW, Kohout FJ, Wallace RB. Depression among the rural elderly. A study of prevalence and correlates. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1985. 173:582–589.
20. Berkman LF, Berkman CS, Kasl S, Freeman DH Jr, Leo L, Ostfeld AM, Cornoni-Huntley J, Brody JA. Depressive symptoms in relation to physical health and functioning in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol. 1986. 124:372–388.
21. Kennedy GJ, Kelman HR, Thomas C. The emergence of depressive symptoms in late life: the importance of declining health and increasing disability. J Community Health. 1990. 15:93–104.
22. Blazer D, Burchett B, Service C, George LK. The association of age and depression among the elderly: an epidemiologic exploration. J Gerontol. 1991. 46:M210–M215.
23. Roberts RE, Kaplan GA, Shema SJ, Strawbridge WJ. Does growing old increase the risk for depression? Am J Psychiatry. 1997. 154:1384–1390.
24. Yu J, Li J, Cuijpers P, Wu S, Wu Z. Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: a population-based study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012. 27:305–312.
25. Cho MJ, Lee JY, Kim BS, Lee HW, Sohn JH. Prevalence of the major mental disorders among the Korean elderly. J Korean Med Sci. 2011. 26:1–10.
26. Statistics Korea. accesseed on 1 August 2012. Avaiable at https://www.index.go.kr/egams/stts/jsp/potal/stts/PO_STTS_IdxMain.jsp?idx_cd=1063&bbs=INDX_001.
27. OECD. Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Publishing. accesseed on 1 August 2012. Available at http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2011_eag-2011-en.
28. Rotermann M. Marital breakdown and subsequent depression. Health Rep. 2007. 18:33–44.
29. Sheeber L, Hops H, Alpert A, Davis B, Andrews J. Family support and conflict: prospective relations to adolescent depression. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1997. 25:333–344.
30. Ross CE, Mirowsky J. Sex differences in the effect of education on depression: resource multiplication or resource substitution? Soc Sci Med. 2006. 63:1400–1413.
31. Cho SJ, Oh DH, Lee JA, Choi BY, Park YC, Nam JH. Prevalence of main psychiatric disorders in relation to urbanization in Gyeonggi Province by using the Korean Version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2011. 50:288–296.
32. Peen J, Dekker J, Schoevers RA, Have MT, de Graaf R, Beekman AT. Is the prevalence of psychiatric disorders associated with urbanization? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007. 42:984–989.
33. Dekker J, Peen J, Koelen J, Smit F, Schoevers R. Psychiatric disorders and urbanization in Germany. BMC Public Health. 2008. 8:17.
34. Peen J, Schoevers RA, Beekman AT, Dekker J. The current status of urban-rural differences in psychiatric disorders. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2010. 121:84–93.
35. Lin CH, Lee YY, Liu CC, Chen HF, Ko MC, Li CY. Urbanization and prevalence of depression in diabetes. Public Health. 2012. 126:104–111.
Full Text Links
  • JKMS
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr