The Socioeconomic Disparities and Depression Among Teachers in Thailand
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Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression and to identify the association between socioeconomic disparities and depression among 376 teachers in Thailand. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to determine socioeconomic status, health behavior, and mental health status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association between socioeconomic disparities and depression after controlling for other covariates. Their average age was 35.42 ± 8.59 years. Thai teachers (82.45%) with bachelor's degrees. Most of the teachers (78%) do exercise regularly. The prevalence of depression was 23.40% (95%CI= 19.38-27.97). Gender (AOR= 1.94, 95%CI: 1.11- 3.4, p value<0.001) nationality (AOR= 3.36, 95%CI: 1.04-5.36, p value<0.001), and monthly salary (AOR= 2.57, 95%CI: 1.16-5.67, p value<0.001) were more likely to have depression. Moreover, other factors related to depression were the type of school, BMI, physical activity, anxiety, and stress. Nearly one-fourth of teachers suffered from depression. The findings highlighted the development of interventions aimed to improve mental health status among teachers. To achieve sustainable development goal 4, Quality Education, addressing teachers' mental health is very important.
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