Abstract

LEYVA, Jessica et al. Screening and diagnosis of depressive disorder in a rural community in Venezuela. Invest. clín [online]. 2025, vol.66, n.1, pp.26-38.  Epub Apr 15, 2025. ISSN 0535-5133.  https://doi.org/10.54817/ic.v66n1a03.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global increase in the incidence of psychological consultations related to anxiety and depressive disorder, which, together with the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, produced a surge in reported cases of these pathologies nationwide. Currently, there are no works available that document the prevalence of depressive disorder in rural communities in Venezuela. This work aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive disorder in La Marroquina, a rural community in Yaracuy State, Venezuela, through a cross-sectional study conducted in July 2022, with an estimated population of 611 patients and a sample of 160. The study included two phases: a brief interview, where the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was conducted and in a second phase, an interview with a Psychiatry specialist who used the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) for the diagnosis of depression. In the psychiatric triage for depression, 67 patients obtained PHQ-9 scores >10 points, of which only 39 attended a consultation. When performing the psychiatric evaluation of these patients, the depressive disorder was diagnosed in 30 patients, with a prevalence in the community of La Marroquina of 18.75%. A statistically significant association was found between the risk of depression according to the PHQ-9 and unemployment. The fact that the scales do not allow differentiating between different types of depressive disorder, as well as the social stigma of attending a psychiatric consultation, may cause underreporting in our study. La Marroquina has a high prevalence of depressive disorder, which is related to unemployment as the most important risk factor.

Keywords : depressive disorder; PHQ-9; unemployment; Venezuela; rural health.

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