Depressive symptoms in people with disabilities; secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the United Kingdom and Greece

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests there is an association between depressive symptoms and disability. Objective/Hypothesis: The objective of this study was to examine whether people with disabilities in the United Kingdom and Greece face more depressive symptoms than people without disabilities. The hypothesis was that people with disabilities in both countries are more likely to experience depressive symptoms. Methods: We used data from the 2014 European Health Interview Survey (wave 2). After performing principal-component factor analysis, we carried out logistic regressions, in order to investigate differences in depressive symptoms between people with and without disabilities, and examine the factors affecting depressive symptoms for people with disabilities. Results: People with disabilities in the UK were 2.8 times more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to people without disabilities (95% C. I.: 2.51-3.05, p < .001), while in Greece, they were 2.2 times more likely to do so (95% C. I.: 1.90-2.64, p <.001). Our findings regarding people with disabilities showed that women, older people (in Greece), unemployed and inactive people (in Greece), and better-educated people (in the UK) were more likely to experience depressive symptoms. Married people, older people (in the UK), people living in densely-populated areas (in Greece), people who assessed their health as 'average' or 'good', and people who enjoyed social support (in Greece) were less likely to face depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Due to population-ageing and higher incidence of depressive symptoms in disabled people, it is important that policies are put in place to address the mental health needs of this population.