Assessing the Prevalence of Adult Depression among Information Technology Professionals: An online Cross-Sectional Study
Arsha S Manoj, Anitha CTObjectives:
The objective of this study is to estimate the incidence of depression among information technology (IT) workers in Bengaluru, India, and identify factors that affect their mental well-being.
Material and Methods:
This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design, comprising a total sample size of 280 IT workers in Bengaluru, aged between 18 to 50 years.They filled the socio-demographic data form and the PHQ-9 questionnaire to assess the degree of their depression. Different associations were determined using the chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.
Results:
With 75.36% of IT professionals reporting some form of depression, the results showed a significant prevalence of reported depressed symptoms. 31.07% of people had mild depression, followed by moderate (18.93%), moderately severe (18.21%), and severe (7.14%) depression. A significant factor that predicted depression was gender, with a higher prevalence of depressed symptoms (84.13%) in females. Moderately severe depression was the most common among female participants, with a severity distribution of 15.87% minimal, 26.98% mild, 17.46% moderate, 27.78% moderately severe, and 11.90% severe depression.
Conclusion:
The report emphasizes how critical it is for the IT industry to implement focused, gender-sensitive mental health interventions. Workplace wellness initiatives and strong support networks are essential to creating a psychologically healthy workplace. Partnerships between government organizations, businesses, non-profits, and mental health professionals are necessary.