Prevalence and factors associated with the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among freelancers in Bangladesh

Freelancing is frequently associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and stress. This study aims to assess depression, anxiety, and stress among freelancers in Bangladesh and determine the factors influencing the symptoms of these conditions. This was a cross-sectional study, and data were collected from 217 freelancers using Google Forms. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21) were used to measure depression, anxiety, and stress of the freelancers. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The Chi-squared test was used at the bivariate level of analysis. The binary logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. SPSS software (version 26) was used to perform statistical analysis. The findings suggested that mild or higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were observed in 57.1, 59.9, and 33.2% of freelancers, respectively. The binary logistic regression indicated that depressive symptoms were associated with work duration and primary occupation; anxiety symptoms were associated with work duration, sleep patterns, and primary occupation; and stress symptoms were related to age, educational attainment, and work duration. The investigation revealed a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the freelancers in Bangladesh. This research provides insightful information about the mental health status of freelancers that will enable stakeholders to develop effective support systems for their work-life balance.