The association of depressive symptoms and physical diseases in Switzerland: a cross-sectional general population study

• Main Authors: Donja eRodic, Andrea Hans Meyer, Gunther eMeinlschmidt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Public Health
• Subjects: Comorbidity; major depression; depressive symptoms; Co-Occurrence; Mental-physical; Physical diseases
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00047/full

Objective: To estimate the association between depressive symptoms and physical diseases in Switzerland, as respective findings might inform about future estimates of mental and physical health care costs.Methods: A population-based study, using data from the Swiss Health Survey collected by computer assisted telephone interviews and additional written questionnaires during the year 2007 (n = 18,760) in Switzerland. The multistage stratified random sample included subjects aged 15 and older, living in a private Swiss household with a telephone connection. Complete data was available for 14,348 subjects (51% of all subjects reached by telephone). Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the associations between depressive symptoms and any physical disease, or a specific physical disease out of 13 non-communicable physical diseases assessed with a self-report checklist on common physical diseases. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, education, occupation and household income. Results: In the adjusted models depressive symptoms were associated with arthrosis and arthritis (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.79, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.28−2.50) and any physical disease (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.33−2.10) after controlling for multiple testing.Conclusion: Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the comorbidity of depressive symptoms and arthrosis and arthritis in Switzerland and might have implications for more precise future estimates of mental and physical health care costs.