Factors associated with Loneliness and Depression among the Mississippi Gulf Coast Residents
Likhitha Duggirala1, Hwanseok Winston Choi2, Ph.D.
1Department of Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Professions, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
2Department of Public Health, College of Nursing and Health Professions, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
To identify the risk factors associated with loneliness and depression among the residents of Mississippi Gulf Coast. Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) organization describes health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Sometimes it would be easier to ignore the later part – mental and social well-being. At least 1 in 5 adults are known to live with a mental health condition. Among the mental health conditions, loneliness and depression have been highly prevalent and are the etiological factors for many other health conditions. Loneliness is currently known to be a “silent epidemic” among the adults in Unites States and at least 7.1% of United States adults experience a major episode of depression. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 4.7% of adults in Mississippi are living with at least one serious mental health condition. Although providing accessible health services for the treatment of loneliness and depression is important, it is even important to prevent it in the first place. So, we would like to identify the risk factors associated with loneliness and depression among the residents of Mississippi Gulf Coast. Data Source and Study Design: The data is collected from randomly selected household which is located in south of Mississippi Gulf shore. A total of 310 responded to the survey questionnaire which measured resilience and adaptation among Gulf Coast residents, both in their everyday lives and during times of personal crisis or disaster. The loneliness is assessed using UCLA loneliness scale 3, and depression using 20-item CES-D scale. The data is analyzed using Chi-Square independent tests and ANOVA at the significance level, 0.05. Results: A significant relation was found between loneliness and income levels (χ2(5) = 36.957, p<0.05), loneliness and health insurance (χ2(1) = 15.58, p<0.05), depression and income levels (F (5, 267) = 5.198, p<0.05), depression and health insurance (F (1, 299) = 5.469, p<0.05). A significant relation was also found between the income levels and race groups (χ2(30) = 52.394, p<0.05). Conclusion: Income – one of the most important factor of Socio-Economic Status (SES) and health insurance are both strongly associated with loneliness and depression. It is important to address these risk factors to further prevent this condition. Even though the data was limited with south Mississippi, implications from this study can be important in developing new policies and advancing community supportive infrastructure in Mississippi.