Depressive symptoms and correlates among village doctors in China

Village doctors are primary care physicians at the grass root-level of rural medical and health institutions in China. Their depression can increase medical errors and affect quality of medical care services. This study aims to examine depressive symptoms and their correlates among Chinese village doctors.

A total of 616 village doctors were recruited from Zoucheng County of Shandong province. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) were used to measure depressive symptoms in the last week, social support and coping styles, respectively. Logistic regression model was conducted to identify the associated factors of depressive symptoms among village doctors.

The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms was 27.4% (28.54% for males, 24.69% for females). Logistic regression analysis found that body mass index (BMI), poor physical health, low educational level, and negative coping styles were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms. Positive coping styles were associated with decreased risk of depressive symptoms in village doctors.

Depressive symptoms are prevalent among village doctors in China. They need to adopt more positive coping strategies to respond to negative emotions. More professional and medical trainings may be important to reduce risk of depressive symptoms and improve their quality of healthcare among village doctors in China.