Women Empowerment and Its Relationship With Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Among Currently Married Women in Bangladesh: A Nationally Representative Cross‐Sectional Study
Md. Mosfequr Rahman, Md. Ashik Ulla Ashik, Raufun Hasan Arnob, Shamima Akter, Mahmudul Hasan Tonmoy, Md. Golam MostofaBackground
Mental disorders are prevalent, with women experiencing a higher incidence of mental health issues compared to men. The disparity in mental disorders may be attributed to women’s disadvantaged social status. Data linking women’s empowerment to mental health are limited. This study analyzes the relationship among currently married women in Bangladesh.
Method
A sample of married women ( n = 15,813) was obtained from the 2022 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS). The survey‐based women’s empowerment (SWPER) index was used to assess women’s empowerment. The evaluation of anxiety and depression symptoms was conducted using the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD‐7) scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9).
Results
Attitudes toward violence and social independence were correlated with reduced adjusted scores on the GAD‐7 (β‐coefficients: −0.34 for attitudes toward violence and −0.16 for social independence) and PHQ‐9 scales (−0.24 for attitudes toward violence and −0.13 for the social independence domain). However, the decision‐making domain showed a positive association. Results also show that a unit increase in the standard deviation (SD) of the attitude toward violence score was associated with higher odds of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68–0.91) and depression symptoms (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.69–0.94). The social independence domain correlates with moderate to severe depressive symptoms, exhibiting lower odds (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.75–0.99).
Conclusion
This study identified associations between various dimensions of women’s empowerment and mental health issues among women, highlighting the necessity of prioritizing women’s empowerment within mental health initiatives in Bangladesh and similar contexts.