Sociodemographic Factors, Health-Risk Behaviors, and Chronic Conditions Are Associated with a High Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms: Findings from the Indonesian Family Life Survey-5

Abstract

Depression is a significant public health challenge. However, limited research exists regarding the risk of sociodemographic factors, health-risk behavior, and chronic conditions in relation to the development of depression in Indonesia. This study assesses the prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents and adults, and identifies its potential associations with sociodemographic factors, health-risk behaviors, and chronic conditions. A national cross-sectional population-based survey was performed, using the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5), to assess depressive symptoms in respondents aged 15 years and older. Depression was evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, and potential associations with sociodemographic factors, health-risk behaviors, and chronic conditions were examined using logistic regression analysis. The study revealed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms, with the highest incidence observed in the age group of 25–34 years. Factors such as unmarried status, younger age, good physical activity, and having chronic conditions showed associations with depression. These findings have implications for developing public mental health strategies to reduce the prevalence of depression in Indonesia.

Keywords:

• chronic conditions
• depression
• health-risk behavior
• Indonesia
• prevalence
• sociodemographic

Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to Survey METER and RAND Corporation for granting permission to use IFLS database.

Author contributions

MA wrote the first draft of this manuscript. SDA and RA participated in the design of the study. MA and SDA participated in data analysis and interpretation. MA, SDA, and RA contributed to the revision of the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript; have mutually decided on the journal to which it has been presented, and take responsibility for all aspects of the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data used in this study are publicly available from the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), which is a collaborative effort between RAND Corporation, University of Gadjah Mada, and Survey METER. The data can be accessed at https://www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS.html.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.