Evaluation of the Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Its Related Demographic Factors in 18-65 Year-Old Population of Khorasan Razavi: A Cross-Sectional Study

Psychological distress is one of the minor psychiatric disorders that can be used as a predictor of serious mental illnesses such as depressive and anxiety disorders. These disorders are predictors of death from cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of psychological distress and its related factors.

This descriptive- analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. The study population included 1103945 subjects aged 18-65 years old that presented to the health centers of Khorasan Razavi.  In this study, demographic checklists and the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6) were used.

The prevalence of psychological distress was 10.10%. The mean age of the subjects was 35.99 ± 10.46 years old, 62.10% were female, 86% were married, and 78.90% had a high school education or less. The response rate was 98.6%. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant relationship between psychological distress and age, gender, marital status, education, location, and occupation.

In this study, the prevalence of psychological distress was low. According to the odds ratio (OR), divorced women, illiterate women, housewives, and big city dwellers were high-risk groups for psychological distress. Considering the relatively large sample size, it is necessary to develop appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment, and training of these groups.