IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2019i1p289-d303751.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Large Sample Survey of Tibetan People on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: Current Situation of Depression and Risk Factors

Author

Listed:
  • Jiazhou Wang

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
    Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Yueyue Zhou

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
    Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Yiming Liang

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
    Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Zhengkui Liu

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
    Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

Background: A depressive state is a negative emotional state characterized by abnormal dejection and unpleasant mood. Long-term depressive symptoms can result in psychological disorders such as depression. However, little is known about the depression status and risk factors of the Tibetan people on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Objective: This study explores the depression status of the Tibetan people to better promote ethnic minorities’ physical and mental health. Participants and Setting: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was administered to 24,141 Tibetan people from Yushu Prefecture; the average age was 34.33 years (SD = 9.18, range = 18–94 years). Materials and Methods: Participants completed questionnaires collecting demographic information and evaluating symptoms of depression. Results: The depression prevalence was higher at high altitudes, and there may be a significant positive correlation between depression rates and altitude. Significant differences were found for each demographic variable. Participants with depressive symptoms (scores ≥8) accounted for 52.3% of the total sample, and participants with depression (scores ≥14) accounted for 28.6%. The binary logistic regression results showed that alcohol drinkers, unmarried participants, participants with high self-assessed socioeconomic status, participants with a high income level, and those with a middle-school education were more likely to be depressed. Conclusions: The results provide the first evidence that the prevalence of depression in Tibetans of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is higher than that in the general Chinese population and that reported in Western studies, a finding that may be related to cultural differences and chronic hypoxia caused by the high altitude. This paper offers insight into the mental health status of people living in plateau areas and provides a basis for formulating pertinent mental health policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiazhou Wang & Yueyue Zhou & Yiming Liang & Zhengkui Liu, 2019. "A Large Sample Survey of Tibetan People on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: Current Situation of Depression and Risk Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:289-:d:303751
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/289/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/289/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Foggin, Peter M. & Torrance, Marion E. & Dorje, Drashi & Xuri, Wenzha & Marc Foggin, J. & Torrance, Jane, 2006. "Assessment of the health status and risk factors of Kham Tibetan pastoralists in the alpine grasslands of the Tibetan plateau," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(9), pages 2512-2532, November.
    2. R Nicholas Carleton & Michel A Thibodeau & Michelle J N Teale & Patrick G Welch & Murray P Abrams & Thomas Robinson & Gordon J G Asmundson, 2013. "The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: A Review with a Theoretical and Empirical Examination of Item Content and Factor Structure," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-11, March.
    3. Xian-Yang Lei & La-Mei Xiao & Ya-Nan Liu & Ya-Min Li, 2016. "Prevalence of Depression among Chinese University Students: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-14, April.
    4. Motonao Ishikawa & Naomune Yamamoto & Gaku Yamanaka & Kuniaki Suwa & Shun Nakajima & Reiko Hozo & Tsering Norboo & Kiyohito Okumiya & Kozo Matsubayashi & Kuniaki Otsuka, 2013. "Disaster-related psychiatric disorders among survivors of flooding in Ladakh, India," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 59(5), pages 468-473, August.
    5. Yuri Jang & Kyung Hwa Kwag & David A. Chiriboga, 2010. "Not Saying I Am Happy Does Not Mean I Am Not: Cultural Influences on Responses to Positive Affect Items in the CES-D," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 65(6), pages 684-690.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Yueyun & Liu, Baozhong, 2021. "Body weight perception and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    2. Shuo Cheng & Cunxian Jia & Yongjie Wang, 2020. "Only Children Were Associated with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms among College Students in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-14, June.
    3. Orstad, Stephanie L. & McDonough, Meghan H. & Klenosky, David B. & Mattson, Marifran & Troped, Philip J., 2017. "The observed and perceived neighborhood environment and physical activity among urban-dwelling adults: The moderating role of depressive symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 57-66.
    4. Zainab Fatehi Albikawi, 2023. "Anxiety, Depression, Self-Esteem, Internet Addiction and Predictors of Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among Female Nursing University Students: A Cross Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, February.
    5. Amir Tiyuri & Maryam Rasoulian & Ahmad Hajebi & Morteza Naserbakht & Amir Shabani & Mitra Hakim Shooshtari & Aziz Rezapour & Seyed Abbas Motevalian, 2023. "Psychological impact of the Spring 2019 flood among adult population of Iran," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(8), pages 1916-1927, December.
    6. Shuo Cheng & Di An & Zhiying Yao & Jenny Jing-Wen Liu & Xuan Ning & Josephine Pui-Hing Wong & Kenneth Po-Lun Fung & Mandana Vahabi & Maurice Kwong-Lai Poon & Janet Yamada & Shengli Cheng & Jianguo Gao, 2021. "Association between Mental Health Knowledge Level and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-10, February.
    7. Wei Jin & Yang Ni & Leah H. Rubin & Amanda B. Spence & Yanxun Xu, 2022. "A Bayesian nonparametric approach for inferring drug combination effects on mental health in people with HIV," Biometrics, The International Biometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 988-1000, September.
    8. Corinna Koebnick & Brit Saksvig & Xia Li & Margo Sidell & Tong Tong Wu & Deborah R. Young, 2020. "The Accuracy of Self-Reported Body Weight Is High but Dependent on Recent Weight Change and Negative Affect in Teenage Girls," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, November.
    9. Jonathan Chen & Ellen Chang & Yi-Ren Chen & Meredith Bailey & Samuel So, 2012. "A model program for hepatitis B vaccination and education of schoolchildren in rural China," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(3), pages 581-588, June.
    10. Natalia Albaladejo-Blázquez & Rosario Ferrer-Cascales & Nicolás Ruiz-Robledillo & Miriam Sánchez-Sansegundo & Violeta Clement-Carbonell & Ana Zaragoza-Martí, 2018. "Poor Dietary Habits in Bullied Adolescents: The Moderating Effects of Diet on Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-10, July.
    11. Choudhurimayum Pankaj Sharma & Anil Kumar & Poonam Chahal & Uma Kant Shukla & Pradeep Srivastava & Manoj K. Jaiswal, 2023. "Debris flow susceptibility assessment of Leh Valley, Ladakh, based on concepts of connectivity, propagation and evidence-based probability," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(2), pages 1833-1859, January.
    12. Liu Dongling & Chen Hui & Ma Ling & Bie Wenqian & Liu Zailiang & Chen Changying, 2017. "Post‐traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among bereaved Tibetan adolescents four years after the Yushu earthquake: a cross‐sectional survey in China," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(7-8), pages 1095-1105, April.
    13. Xiaowei Jiang & Yanan Chen & Na Ao & Yang Xiao & Feng Du, 2022. "A Depression-Risk Mental Pattern Identified by Hidden Markov Model in Undergraduates," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, November.
    14. Zhongyu Ren & Jianhua Cao & Peng Cheng & Dongzhe Shi & Bing Cao & Guang Yang & Siyu Liang & Fang Du & Nan Su & Miao Yu & Chaowei Zhang & Yaru Wang & Rui Liang & Liya Guo & Li Peng, 2020. "Association between Breakfast Consumption and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese College Students: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-10, February.
    15. Stephanie Hoffmann & Susanne Schulze & Antje Löffler & Juliane Becker & Frank Hufert & Heinz-Detlef Gremmels & Christine Holmberg & Michael A Rapp & Sonja Entringer & Jacob Spallek, 2024. "Did the prevalence of depressive symptoms change during the COVID-19 pandemic? A multilevel analysis on longitudinal data from healthcare workers," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 70(1), pages 87-98, February.
    16. Ye Minn Htun & Kyaw Thiha & Aung Aung & Nay Myo Aung & Thet Wai Oo & Pyae Sone Win & Nay Hein Sint & Kaung Myat Naing & Aung Khant Min & Kyaw Myo Tun & Kyaw Hlaing, 2021. "Assessment of depressive symptoms in patients with COVID-19 during the second wave of epidemic in Myanmar: A cross-sectional single-center study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-15, June.
    17. Platt, Jonathan M. & Bates, Lisa M. & Jager, Justin & McLaughlin, Katie A. & Keyes, Katherine M., 2020. "Changes in the depression gender gap from 1992 to 2014: Cohort effects and mediation by gendered social position," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    18. Shegang Zhou & Lin Jin & Xiaoxian Liu & Xiaosheng Ding & Xiangru Zhu, 2022. "Developmental Trajectory of Depressive Symptoms in Chinese College Students: Latent Classes and Gender Effect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    19. Fengxia Zhu & Yueyun Zhang & Qi Li & Yuanyao Xu & Baozhong Liu, 2022. "Families, Schools, and the Longitudinal Changes in Psychological Distress among College Students during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a National Panel Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, October.
    20. Jie Zhang & Xiangli Gu & Xiaoxia Zhang & Jihye Lee & Mei Chang & Tao Zhang, 2021. "Longitudinal Effects of Motivation and Physical Activity on Depressive Symptoms among College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-11, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:289-:d:303751. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.