Urbanisation and minor psychiatric morbidity. A community study in Taiwan

The relationship between urbanisation and minor psychiatric morbidity (MPM) was investigated in one rural, one suburban, and one urban community in Taiwan. While there was no significant difference between communities in weighted prevalence of total morbidity, anxiety states, and a number of main symptoms, significantly lower rates of depressive illness/symptom were found in both native and migrant urban young women. Both the adverse rural environment with more chronic stressors and selective migration to the cities might explain the higher rates of depression in rural young women. Although no significant interaction between community and other demographic factors on the risk of MPM was found, psychosocial stresses associated with such morbidity were different between communities. It is hypothesised that the higher rate of depression in rural women will revert as urbanisation goes on.