Depression among women in Australia

Depression among women in Australia

Depression among women in Australia

 

 Introduction

Depression in Australia has become very common and at a very high rate. According to Rich, Byrne, Curryer, Byles & Loxton (2013), about one million adults in Australia live with depression. Depression affects both the metal and physical health of an individual. Depression is also considered to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease. Women in Australia are considered more vulnerable to depression as compared to other groups in the country. About 16% of women in Australia suffer depression after giving birth. The gender and family roles alongside caring responsibilities of women are associated with the high levels of depression in women. This paper will explore the depression among the Australian women.

Evidence relating to levels of depression for women in Australia.

Depression among women in Australia remains high. Sadly a significant number of women suffering from depression do not receive the required medication for the condition (Byles, Robinson, Gibson, Parkinson, & Loxton, 2007). The rising number of women depression among women in Australia have a positive correlation with low physical activities (Muller, 2017). According to…. depression in Australian women tend to decrease with age. The course of depression was also discovered be different in the life course. Most of the women are at higher risk of suffering from depression after giving birth and the period around menopause. Stressful life events and traumatic events are also significant causes of depression among women in Australia.

The prevalence of depression among women in Australia rage from 4.3% to 43.9 % women (Rich, Byrne, Curryer, Byles, & Loxton, 2013). Indigenous women have reported higher levels of depression as compared to the modern women. Moreover, women with chronic diseases like the CVD have also reported a higher prevalence of depression as compared to other women. Individuals with previous depression issues among other mental illness reported higher cases of depression as compared to those with no past depression cases. When considering motherhood in relation to depression, financial stress was the main cause of depression in women (Rich, Byrne, Curryer, Byles, & Loxton, 2013; Loxton, Mooney, & Young, 2006).

According to (Rich, Byrne, Curryer, Byles, & Loxton, 2013), the risk of young women to experience the depression increases during their later stages of puberty. Among the women in Australia, the indigenous women and the Asia-Australian women report higher cases of depression as compared to other women. The postnatal depression among women in Australia has a prevalence of about 7.5%. When comparing the single mothers and mothers with partners, the postnatal depression of women with partners is about 8% as compared to that of the single mothers who are about 18% (Butterworth, 2004).

Perinatal depression is also very common among women in Australia. About 1 in every five women with two years children and below have depression. Majority of these women had reported they were diagnosed with depression during pregnancy and before the children were one year. It is estimated that about 11000 mothers in Australia have depression. The prevalence of depression among young women in their teenage age is also considered to be high. About one in every four girls in Australia is diagnosed with depression. Moreover, women with physical disability in Australia show higher levels of depression as compared to normal women.

 

 How the patterns of depression among women in Australia are socially determined

Most of the depression cases among the women in Australia are socially determined. The most common risk factors were violence and abuse that some women face when small or even when adults. Single mothers and women who experience divorce or separation are at higher risk of getting depressed. Interestingly getting into a relationship has been considered by many to prevent depression (Butterworth, 2004).Gender has been identified as one of the risk factors for the mental illness like depression.

According to Milner, Kavanagh, & Hewitt, (2017), the economic status and the difference in the financial status of an individual in the society are considered to be significant determinants of depression. Similarly, in Australia, single mothers with low financial condition have shown higher levels of depression as compared to those mothers with supporting partners. Women within the lowest economic class are more likely to suffer from depression as compared to women within the higher economic class in the society. Women experience the social and economic factors differently from the men thus making them more vulnerable to mental illness such as depression.

Gender inequality in Australia is connected to the higher levels of mental illness in women than men. According to Milner, Kavanagh, & Hewitt, (2017), women earning a lower income than their male colleagues are considered to be at almost 2.5 times higher risk of getting depressed. Discrimination in, most cases result in stressful moments and indulgence in the drug and substance abuse. Upon getting children, most of the women prefer working part-time as they have more responsibilities than men. This is reflected in their earnings making them be dependent on their spouses. In case the spouse is not financially supportive, these women tend to get stressed and become depressed in the long run. Moreover, this is the main reason why single mothers have higher cases of depression as compared to partnered mothers with responsible fathers.

Gender violence has a significant contribution to depression in women. Gender violence is common in those cultures that support male superiority. This is common in Australia, and so are the cases of depression among women. Dating violence is associated with very high levels of depression among women in Australia. Overall women who have experienced violence in their lifetime have higher cases of violence as compared to those women who have not experienced the same Terry, 2014).

The gender inequality and the power inequality in Australia are supported by complex social and cultural norms. Women sometimes fell lack of control of their own life due to the socially set roles making them get stressed and depressed. Young girls may suffer from low self-esteem due to their body image leading to increased cases of depression. This is the reason why depression among women in puberty is high WHO, 2014).

Women in low socioeconomic women have disadvantages such as unemployment and low education. Women in the low socioeconomic background have a higher prevalence of poor health. These women are also associated with smoking, poor nutrition and inadequate physical activities most of which are associated with the development of depression. Lower education background and unavailability of health information make it difficult for women to make informed decisions about their health (WHO, 2014).

Health promotion intervention to address depression and promote positive mental health for women in Australia

To prevent depression among women in Australia, there is a need for educating women about the depression symptoms and the correct action to take when certain symptoms are spotted. Late treatment is one of the reasons why depression is common among women. The health workers should provide awareness education to parents as well as young women. Regular screening for depression among women especially the single parents and pregnant women as well as the young women as they are the most affected. During the antenatal clinic, women should be screened for depression for early action to be taken. The health workers should encourage this through educating women about the importance of screening and treatment.

There is a need for developing a program that will address the gender inequality that already exists in Australia and which is connected to the rising levels of depression among women. The awareness should begin right from homes to the society at large. Parents need to take the initiative to show their children are equal right from childhood and show them they have an equal right to good health. Moreover, a program needs to be developed which will be run on the TVs and on the social media advocating for equality and the need addressing the right of women to health.

Engaging young women in counselling and education programs about depression will help.  Education about self-image and self-esteem need to be provided to young women reaching puberty. Parents need to be made aware of the changes that take place in their young girls and provide them with the support they require. Engaging these young girls in constructive activities will help them have less idle time to think about their appearance and therefore low case of depression. Moreover offering regular counselling to adolescents regarding their physical appearance and relationships will help them develop positive thinking towards the same.

Conclusion

Depression among women in Australia is very high and alarming. Young women are more prone to depression young women as compared to elder women. Lack of physical activity among women is one of the factors associated with the high levels of depression among women. From the research, it is clear that depression among women in Australia is also to a greater extent socially determined. Gender inequality has highly contributed to the high rates of depression among women. The inequality has contributed to higher pay gap between men and women making women get stressed and depressed. The disparity makes men to be viewed as superior thus increased violence against women resulting in higher levels of depression. Underemployment and lower financial support especially among the single mothers have facilitated the levels of digression. Creating awareness, education and regular screening of depression in women at risk is among the intervention to be provided for better health among women in Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

List of references

Butterworth, P. (2004). Lone mothers’ experience of physical and sexual violence: association with psychiatric disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 184(1), 21-27.

Byles, J., Robinson, I., Gibson, R., Parkinson, L., & Loxton, D. (2007). Depression among women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing

Loxton, D., Mooney, R., & Young, A. F. (2006). The psychological health of sole mothers in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 184(6), 265-269.

Milner, A.., Kavanagh, A.  & Hewitt, B. (2017). The gender pay gap is harming women’s health.available in https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/123962/The%20gender%20pay%20gap%20is%20harming%20women%27s%20health.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Muller S. (2017, 27th Aug). Concerning the number of women suffering depression, anxiety: study. The Sydney morning herald.

Rich, J. L., Byrne, J. M., Curryer, C., Byles, J. E., & Loxton, D. (2013). Prevalence and correlates of depression among Australian women: a systematic literature review, January 1999-January 2010. BMC research notes, 6(1), 424.

Terry, M. S. (2014). Applying the social ecological model to violence against women with disabilities. Journal of Womens Health Care, 2167-0420.

WHO (2014). Women’s health east gender equity for health outcome. Retrieved from http://whe.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/10/2014_Resource_Gender-Equity-Fact-Sheet.pdf

 

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Depression among women in Australia

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