Relación entre los cribados de depresión y ansiedad en los adultos de la comunidad de El Llano, municipio Baní, provincia Peravia, República Dominicana

Introduction:  Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental illnesses worldwide. These often coexist, and the concurrent presence of both conditions generally leads to a worse prognosis for the patient. Reports from the Ministry of Public Health in the National Mental Health Plan of the Dominican Republic indicate that approximately 20% of the Dominican population suffers from mental disorders, with 5.7% attributed to anxiety and 4.7% to depression. To date, very few studies have evaluated the presence of depression and/or anxiety within the community of El Llano. It is imperative to use tools to detect the presence and severity of these disorders and to assess the relationship between the screenings for each condition.

Objectives:  To determine if there is a relationship between the screenings for depression and anxiety in adults residing in the community of El Llano, Baní municipality, Peravia province, Dominican Republic during the period of November–December 2023; to classify the severity of detected depression cases using the PHQ-9; to assess anxiety severity according to the GAD-7 scale; and to determine if there is a relationship between the severity levels of both disorders.

Methodology:  Observational, analytical, prospective, and cross-sectional. A convenience sampling method was used, yielding a total of 70 participants, interviewed during home visits or upon arrival at the primary care center. Participants were selected based on inclusion criteria (>18 years old, Spanish-speaking, residents of El Llano) and exclusion criteria (having been diagnosed with or receiving treatment for either condition; and suffering from a disorder that would prevent them from answering the questionnaire independently). Sociodemographic characteristics were collected, and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales were administered, with data collected and stored using the KoboToolBox program. Statistical tests, including linear regression and Fisher’s exact test, were conducted with an alpha of 5%, a 95% confidence interval, and p < 0.05 for statistical significance.

Results:  31.43% of respondents showed minimal depression; 62.86% did not present anxiety. In both Fisher’s exact test for screening relationships and linear regression for severity relationships, the p-value was <0.05, indicating a relationship between both screenings and a linear relationship between their severities.

Conclusions and Recommendations:  Depression and anxiety screening should be implemented in the community of El Llano, with management based on severity and personnel training aligned with international guidelines. In addition, further studies on the mental health of this community’s inhabitants are warranted, and the establishment of mental health care services is recommended.

Keywords:
Anxiety; depression; mental health; primary health care; psychiatry