Volume : 8, Issue : 3, March - 2019

Impact of marital conflicts and domestic violence on occurrence of depression in married women - A cross-sectional study

Dr. Ekta Arora, Dr. S. S Deepti, Dr. Tejbir Singh, Dr. Mohan Lal

Abstract :

Background: Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential and can cope with the normal stresses of life. Amongst all mental disorders, World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked depression the 4th leading cause of disability worldwide. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted and 1000 married females were selected by systematic random sampling from rural and urban areas of Distt. Amritsar. Pretested and predesigned questionnaire and PHQ9 scale was used to obtain valid results. Results: In this study, 47.9% women who had conflicts with their husband were found to be depressed. 52.8 % women were found to be depressed amongst those who experienced domestic violence while 71.3 % women were found depressed amongst those who were forced for sexual relations without consent. Also, 48.4 % women with history of mental torture were found to be depressed. Conclusion and Recommendation: Awareness through public education, early detection and organized national mental health programs can curb the increasing epidemic of depression.