Social inequalities in the prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms in Czechia

Abstract Background Depressive symptoms are associated with achieved socioeconomic status (SES) in men and women. The aim of the analysis is to verify this association between severity of depressive symptoms and socioeconomic status in the Czech context. Another aim is to examine the use of psychiatric and psychological treatment among men and women. Methods The data come from the 2019 European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) was used to measure the symptoms and severity of depressive symptoms among respondents. Participants were aged 20 and above and resided in households. Binary logistic regression was used to test the relationship for using of treatment and depressive symptoms. Results The weighted prevalence of mild depressive symptoms is determined to be 10.5% (8.0 % in men; 12.8% in women), with severe depressive symptoms recorded at 3.1% (2.6% in men; 3.7% in women) within the Czech population. The psychiatric or psychological treatment is utilized by 3.8% (2.8% in men; 4.7% in women) of the Czech population. Respondents with severe depressive symptoms (37.4%) use care the most, followed by those with mild symptoms (11.9%), and the least by those with none (1.6%). Individuals with tertiary education utilize treatment the most among respondents with moderate and severe depressive symptoms. Respondents differ in the utilization of treatment; however, after stratifying the model only for respondents with mild or severe depressive symptoms, these respondents do not differ in the utilization of treatment. Conclusions SES level is reflected differently in the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms for men and women. But no difference was found in the use of psychiatric or psychological care in men and women. A treatment gap was found for depressive symptoms in the Czech population. Key messages • The results confirmed the relationship between the utilization of care and depressive symptoms. • It was revealed that respondents did not differ in the utilization of care after the stratification.