Prevalence and risk factors of psychiatric disorders in an industrial population in India

BACKGROUND: Recent information on psychiatric morbidity in industrial employees is not available in India. Such information may help in building mental health care for this population. AIM: The aim was to study the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and the risk factors associated with it in an industrial population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred thirty-eight individuals were selected by a stratified randomisation technique and screened using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Johns Hopkins University Hospital Test for alcoholism and a semistructured questionnaire for other substance use, sleep problems and past psychiatric history. Following a detailed clinical interview, diagnoses were based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10, Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR). RESULTS: The prevalence rate for psychiatric disorder of one month's duration in the study population was 51.7%. Substance use, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders were common. Comorbidities were found in 65% of the subjects. Both univariate analysis and stepwise multiple regression revealed that educational level, perceived stress, job satisfaction and stressful life events were the independent determinants of psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of industrial employees had psychiatric morbidity and many psychosocial factors were associated with caseness.