Estudio Cuantitativo de la Comorbilidad Ansioso-Depresiva en una Comunidad Rural: Implicaciones Clínicas y Preventivas.

This research seeks to quantitatively analyze the comorbidity between anxiety and depression symptoms in a rural community in the city of Guayaquil, in order to identify relevant clinical patterns and propose preventive recommendations. A purposive sample of 40 adults residing in one area was assessed using two validated psychometric instruments: the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Both were administered in individual and confidential sessions. The results indicated that 67.5% of participants presented moderate levels of anxiety and 60% moderate levels of depression. Fifteen percent showed severe symptoms in at least one of the two dimensions assessed. The correlational analysis revealed a direct relationship between anxiety and depression scores, demonstrating a high level of anxiety-depression comorbidity in this population. This pattern suggests that, in rural communities with unfavorable psychosocial conditions, affective symptoms tend to coexist, increasing the complexity of clinical management. The implications of this study highlight the need to implement community-based programs for early detection, psychoeducational intervention, and accessible psychological care, taking into account the high prevalence of comorbidity. It also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive interventions that include strategies to promote mental health and reduce the stigma associated with emotional disorders. This study contributes to the body of evidence supporting community-based mental health care as an effective way to reduce untreated psychological burden in rural populations.