Prevalence and predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a sample of women who use drugs in Tanzania: the key role of drug use stigma

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Haneefa T. Saleem¹  Nora S. West¹  Samuel Likindikoki² 

[1] Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA;School of Public Health and Social Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;

关键词: Depression;    Anxiety;    Women;    Drug use stigma;    Tanzania;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05008-z

 received in 2022-10-11, accepted in 2023-07-07,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundGlobally, women who use drugs face multiple health vulnerabilities, including poor mental health. Little is known about the mental health burden among women who use drugs in sub-Saharan Africa. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among a sample of women who use drugs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.MethodsWe administered a cross-sectional survey to a non-random sample of 200 women who use drugs in Dar es Salaam between November 2018 and March 2019. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the study sample and fitted separate logistic regression models to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms and their predictors.ResultsThe percentages of women reporting depressive and anxiety symptoms were 67.5% and 43.7%, respectively. Internalized drug use stigma (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.75) and prior attempts to stop heroin use (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.28-7.00) were associated with depressive symptoms. Enacted drug use stigma from health workers (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.34–3.04) and anticipated drug use stigma from family (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.02–2.16) were associated with anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsDepressive and anxiety symptoms were high among our study sample, with higher reports of symptoms of depression than anxiety. Drug use stigma was a key factor that contributed to elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023