Depression Research and Treatment
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Comparison of the Quality of Life and Depression in the Elderly with and without a History of COVID-19 Infection in Shiraz, Iran

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Depression Research and Treatment publishes original research articles and review articles related to all aspects of depression

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Depression Research and Treatment maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.

 

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Research Article

High School Students’ Depression Literacy about Interventions and Prevention: A Survey in Tehran

Background. Given the high prevalence of depressive disorders in the present world and the lack of adequate awareness about prevention and appropriate interventions, increasing mental health literacy is vital for promoting mental health to reduce depression and its consequences. Methods. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, participants were recruited among the second high school students in the 2018-2019 academic year. The sample size was 2038, and samples were selected by multistage cluster sampling from different areas of Tehran. Demographic variables like age, gender, level of education, and parents’ characteristics and mental health literacy questions in treatment and prevention areas were evaluated. Results. Analyses showed that of high school students, 83% considered getting help from psychiatrists and 80% considered learning stress management as the best preventive measures, while as the best treatment measures, 79.5% considered counseling the best place to refer for visiting a professional and 45% selected general counseling centers. Conclusion. The study results showed that high school students have a positive attitude toward preventing and treating depressive disorders, getting help from specialists, and useful measures for depressed people. But they did not know enough about preventive measures, including learning effective coping skills, reading self-help books, and continuing to take psychiatric medications. Planning and providing the necessary training are important, especially for high school students.

Research Article

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Antenatal Depression among Pregnant Women Attending Tertiary Care Hospitals in South India

Background. Antenatal depression (AND) is a common mood disorder that affects both the mother and the child. Objective. The current study is aimed at identifying the prevalence of antenatal depression and the risk factors associated with it in South Indian pregnant women. Materials and Methods. The current study was carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital where pregnancy and postnatal care are offered. In the study, 314 pregnant women who visited the antenatal clinic for their prenatal checkups were included. To diagnose possible depression, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used. The chi-square test was applied to determine the association between antenatal depression and various socioeconomic, obstetric, and medical factors. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant confounding variables. Results. Of the total 314 women, 69 (21.98%) were suffering from possible depression with the mean EPDS score being . Women of younger age had greater risks for depression than older women (; 95% CI: 0.56-7.20). Maternal age (, ) and the presence of health issues during the current pregnancy (, ) were the factors significantly associated with antenatal depression. Conclusions. Clinical efforts should focus on screening antenatal depression, early identification, and effective care, thus preventing progression to postpartum depression and its detrimental effects.

Research Article

Determinants of Pregnancy-Related Anxiety among Women Attending Antenatal Checkup at Public Health Institutions in Debre Markos Town, Ethiopia

Background. Pregnancy-related anxiety has been associated with many pregnancy adverse outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight, postpartum depression, and resulting in long-term sequels on the child’s emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development. This study is aimed at assessing the magnitude of pregnancy-related anxiety and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal checkup at Debre Markos town public health institutions, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 pregnant women at Debre Markos town, Northwest Ethiopia, from February 1st to March 30th, 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected sing a structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered with Epi-data version 4.6 and then exported to SPSS version 23. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify significantly associated variables with pregnancy-related anxiety. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) at a value of ≤0.05 was used to claim statistical association. Result. In this study, a total of 408 pregnant women participated, giving a 96.4% response rate. The prevalence of pregnancy-related anxiety was found to be 43.9% (95% CI: 39.5, 49.2). Having no formal education (; 95% CI: 1.32, 8.58), primigravida (; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.24), intimate partner violence (; 95% CI: 1.47, 5.64), and poor social support (; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.56) was significantly associated with pregnancy-related anxiety. Conclusion. In this study, the prevalence of pregnancy-related anxiety was found to be high when compared to other study findings. The regional educational department should give emphasis for gender pedagogies which pay attention to the specific learning needs of girls. In addition, interventions on violence against women and social support for the women may reduce the problem.

Review Article

Virtual versus Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Depression: Meta-Analytic Test of a Noninferiority Hypothesis and Men’s Mental Health Inequities

Global rates of depression have increased significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear how the recent shift of many mental health services to virtual platforms has impacted service users, especially for the male population which are significantly more likely to complete suicide than women. This paper presents the findings of a rapid meta-analytic research synthesis of 17 randomized controlled trials on the relative efficacy of virtual versus traditional face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in mitigating symptoms of depression. Participants’ aggregated depression scores were compared upon completion of the therapy (posttest) and longest follow-up measurement. The results supported the noninferiority hypothesis indicating that the two modes of CBT delivery are equally efficacious, but the results proved to be significantly heterogeneous indicating the presence of moderating effects. Indirect suggestive evidence was found to support moderation by gender; that is, depressed males may benefit more from virtual CBT. Perhaps, this field’s most telling descriptive finding was that boys/men have been grossly underrepresented in its trials. Future trials ought to oversample those who have been at this field’s margins to advance the next generation of knowledge, allowing us to best serve people of all genders, those who live in poverty, Indigenous, Black, and other Peoples of Colour, as well as any others at risk of being marginalized or oppressed in contemporary mental health care systems.

Research Article

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Poststroke Depression among Outpatient Stroke Patients Who Have a Follow-Up at the Outpatient Neurology Clinic of Zewditu Memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background. Poststroke depression is the most common and burdensome poststroke psychiatric complication. Studies showed discrepancies in reporting frequencies and risk factors for poststroke depression. Updated local data are relevant for efficient strategies of poststroke depression screening and prevention. Objectives. To determine the prevalence and associated factors of poststroke depression among outpatient stroke patients from the outpatient neurology clinic of Zewditu Memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 249 stroke patients. Data was collected through structured questionnaire using interviews and a review of medical charts. PHQ-9 depression questionnaire was used to diagnose poststroke depression. Descriptive analysis was used to see the nature of the characteristics of interests. Bivariate analysis was used to sort out variables at values less than 0.05 for multivariate logistic regression. Significance level was obtained using an odds ratio with 95% CI and value < 0.05. Results. Point prevalence for poststroke depression was 27.5 percent. Female gender, unemployment, low social support level, diabetes mellitus, and poststroke period under 2 years were statistically significant and independent predictors for poststroke depression. Conclusions. The point prevalence estimate of poststroke depression was comparable with other studies. Low social support levels increased the odds for poststroke depression by more than eight folds. It appeared that external factors are more important in the pathogenesis of poststroke depression in the African population. Detection and prevention programs should consider disparities of poststroke depression incidence and risk factors.

Research Article

Effectiveness of Positive Psychotherapy on Depression and Alexithymia in Women Applying for a Divorce

Background. The new therapeutic approach of positive psychotherapy has successfully treated severe mental disorders such as depression and mood disorders. However, existing research has not sufficiently measured the usefulness of this treatment in reducing depression and alexithymia. Objectives. This study thus examined the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy in reducing these two conditions in a specific population: Iranian women applying for the divorce. Methods. A total of 40 participants aged 20-40 with a high score in the Beck Depression Inventory and Toronto Alexithymia Questionnaire were recruited from women referred to a psychology clinic for divorce-related problems. The pretest, posttest, and follow-up were conducted with all participants, who were randomly placed in two groups: the experimental and control groups, which each consisted of 20 people. We provided eight positive psychotherapy sessions for only the experimental group. Results. After MANCOVA was conducted, the results showed that positive psychotherapy significantly decreased alexithymia and depression in the test population.

Depression Research and Treatment
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Article of the Year Award: Outstanding research contributions of 2021, as selected by our Chief Editors. Read the winning articles.