城市化与抑郁症相关吗?——基于全球精神健康调查数据的再分析

Is Urbanization Related to Depression?A Re-analysis Based on the Survey Data From World Mental Health

城市化与抑郁症及更广义的精神健康的关系具有不确定性。基于世界卫生组织对18个国家进行的世界精神健康调查提供的重性抑郁发作患病率数据,并匹配对应年度的城市化及相关的经济发展水平、经济不平等、失业率、国民健康水平、性别不平等、教育水平等相关宏观指标,然后进行相关分析,发现城市化水平与重性抑郁发作终身患病率及12个月患病率之间的相关性并未达到统计上显著的水平,与其他指标的相关性也不存在统一的规律。这说明从国家层次上看,城市化水平提升与抑郁症患病率增加之间并不完全具备显著相关,更不能推断两者之间的因果关系。为此,对于重性抑郁障碍等具有潜在生物学机制的精神疾病,应慎言城市化等社会因素的致病作用,并应通过更进一步的社会发展来提供有助于促进居民精神健康及整体健康水平的制度与措施。

The relationship between urbanization and depression or mental health is uncertain.Based on the WHO mental health survey of 18 countries,the author matches corresponding annual urbanization and related indexes including economic development level,economic inequality,unemployment,national health level,gender inequality,relevant macroeconomic indicators such as education level,and related analysis,It was found that the correlation between urbanization level and the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of major depressive episode did not reach a statistically significant level,and there was no uniform rule between urbanization level and other indicators.In addition,there is no uniform pattern for the association among other indicators.Results showed that from the national level,the increase in urbanization and the increase in the prevalence of depression are not completely correlated,and the causal relationship between the two cannot be inferred.For this reason,for major depressive disorder and other mental illnesses with potential biological mechanisms,we should be cautious about the pathogenic effects of urbanization and other social factors on them.Furthermore,we should improve overall health level system and measures to promote the mental health of residents through further social development.