RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Depression, suicidality and associated risk factors among police officers in urban Tanzania: a cross-sectional study
JF General Psychiatry
JO Gen Psych
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e100448
DO 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100448
VO 34
IS 3
A1 Belinda Jackson Njiro
A1 Harrieth Peter Ndumwa
A1 Charles Joseph Msenga
A1 Thomas Kawala
A1 Ezekiel Matola
A1 Juhudi Mhonda
A1 Hillary Corbin
A1 Omary Ubuguyu
A1 Samuel Likindikoki
YR 2021
UL http://gpsych.bmj.com/content/34/3/e100448.abstract
AB Background The WHO has classified depression as a disease of public concern. Police officers are a particular subpopulation group that is at an increased risk for mental health problems. This study examined the prevalence of depression, suicidality and associated risk factors among police officers in urban Tanzania.Aims The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression, suicidality and associated risk factors among police officers in Tanzania.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2019 and October 2020 among 550 participants in Dar es Salaam recruited using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to screen for depression and suicidality. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12 tool was used to measure perceived social support. Descriptive statistics were summarised using frequencies and percentages. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to establish associations between predictors of interest, depression and suicidality.Results There were 497 participants in the study. Of these, 76.6% (376 of 491) were men, and the median (IQR) age was 37.0 (17) years. Around 19.8% (96 of 486) of the police officers screened positive for depression and 15.4% (75 of 413) for suicidality. A significant proportion was either moderately (29 of 96, 30.2%) or severely depressed (8 of 75, 10.7 %). Of those who experienced suicidal thoughts, 10.7% (8 of 75) reported having daily suicidal thoughts. Perceiving low social support was associated with an increased risk of reporting depression (adjusted OR (aOR): 28.04, 95% CI: 8.42 to 93.37, p<0.001) and suicidality (aOR: 10.85, 95% CI: 3.56 to 33.08, p<0.001) as compared with those with high perceived social support.Conclusion The magnitude of depression and suicidality among police officers in urban Tanzania is alarmingly high. The study findings indicate the need for routine screening for depression and suicidality among police officers and design appropriate mental health responsive services in this population.Data set will be made available upon reasonable request.