Association between depression, happiness, and sleep duration: data from the UAE healthy future pilot study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• The United Arab Emirates Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS) is a key prospective cohort study examining chronic disease risk factors in the UAE.
• This research validates the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) for depression screening within the UAEHFS pilot phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of the PHQ-8 as a depression screening tool in the UAE population.
• To identify demographic and lifestyle factors associated with depression in the UAE.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of pilot data from the UAEHFS, including 487 participants.
• Statistical analysis of the PHQ-8, correlating it with happiness, sleep duration, age, BMI, and gender, using multiple imputation for missing data.

Main Results:

• 9.5% of participants reported depression. Females had significantly higher odds (OR=3.2) of reporting depression than males.
• Unhappy individuals were approximately 5 times more likely to report depression. Higher BMI was associated with increased depression risk (OR=1.8).
• Increased age showed a trend towards decreased depression risk (OR=0.34). Shorter sleep duration (<6 hours) was linked to higher depression likelihood.

Conclusions:

• The PHQ-8 is a viable screening tool for depression in the UAE.
• Female gender, unhappiness, higher BMI, and shorter sleep duration are significant risk factors for depression in this population.
• Age appears to be a protective factor against reporting depression in the UAE.