Exploring the national prevalence of mental health risk, multimorbidity and the associations thereof: a repeated cross-sectional panel study

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Ashleigh Craig¹  Asanda Mtintsilana²  Shane Norris³  Witness Mapanga⁴  Siphiwe Dlamini⁵ 

[1]SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[2]SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[3]DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[4]SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[5]School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

[6]SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[7]Strengthening Oncology Services Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

[8]School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

关键词: depression;    anxiety;    ACE;    mental health;    multimorbidity;    South Africa;    national representative survey;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1217699

 received in 2023-05-05, accepted in 2023-09-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Objective and methodsSouth Africans were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic hardships. As a result, mental health within this region may have worsened. Therefore, using large scale nationally representative data, we repeated the cross-sectional panel study to investigate mental health risk post COVID-19 to explore mental health and multimorbidity and to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and comorbid health conditions in South African adults (aged 18 years and older).ResultsPost-pandemic, 26.2, 17.0, and 14.8% of the South African respondents reported being probably depressed, anxious and had suffered high exposure to early life adversity, respectively. Nationally, the prevalence of mental health across the country remained alarmingly high when compared to Panel 1. The prevalence of multimorbidity (2 or more chronic morbidities) among the South African population was reported at 13.9%, and those with 2 or more morbidities were found to have increased odds of early adversity, irrespective of differing socio-demographics. Furthermore, early adversity was also associated with multimorbidity partly via mental health.ConclusionThis repeated cross-sectional national study reiterated that the prevalence of mental health across South African adults aged 18 years and older is widespread. Mental health remains worryingly high post-pandemic where more than a quarter of respondents are probably depressed, nearly one in every five respondents are anxious, and 14.8% reported high exposure ACEs. Public health interventions need to be upscaled with efforts to reduce the incidence of early adversity that may have the ability to lower adverse health outcomes and mental ill-health in adulthood.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Craig, Mapanga, Mtintsilana, Dlamini and Norris.