Prevalence of Depressions and Its Association with Symptoms among Convicted Male Inmates at District Jail Attock

Depressive disorders are characterized by sadness, loss of interest, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration. Mental disorders, including depression, are prevalent globally, particularly in prison populations, where conditions exacerbate existing issues. This study aims to assess the level of depression among convicted male prisoners aged 18-50 years in Attock prison using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).The primary objective is to find out the prevalence of depression and examine the association between depression and somatic symptoms and sociodemographic variables. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 109 prisoner samples calculated through Open-Epi and selected through Convenience Sampling with random selection technique. A validated structured questionnaire was prepared which contains three sections i.e. demographic data, somatic symptoms of depression, and BDI. SPSS version 29 was used for data analysis where Chi-square, phi, and p-values were calculated to assess the statistical significance of the association between depression and various factors. A level of p < 0.05 was used to assess significance. The prevalence of depression was Normal (11.9%), Mild-mood disturbance (19.3%), Border-line depression (22.9%), Moderate depression (35.8%), Severe depression (7.3%), and Extreme depression (2.8%).Changes in appetite, lethargy, suicidal thoughts, mood changes, and sleep disturbances were strongly correlated with the severity of depression scores p < 0.05 while others like loss of interest and use of drugs/alcohol show only moderate association. Thus, study findings reveal also that 68.8% of inmates suffer from depression with 22.9% falling in the range of borderline clinical depression. There is an urgent need for targeted interventions to reduce depression rates among prisoners for societal well-being. The BDI proves to be an effective tool for measuring depression in this population.