Most men in Jamaica depressed in COVID’s retreat – study

More than half (53 per cent) of men in Jamaica have been experiencing varying levels of depression in the retreat of COVID-19, according to an islandwide study conducted by Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in October and November 2022. The levels of depression recorded were 41 per cent mild, eight per cent moderate, and four per cent severe.

The study, titled ‘Assessing Depression in Jamaican Males: Post-COVID-19’, further revealed that nearly 10 per cent of the 1,066 adult males surveyed attempted suicide or had suicidal thoughts or wished they were dead. Another 25 per cent felt their life was not worth living.

The survey findings have a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.

According to the NCU study, depression can be defined as ‘a mood disorder that is associated with feelings of sadness and loss of interest, which negatively affects how one feels, thinks, and behaves’. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that depression affects approximately 3.8 per cent of the world’s population (280 million people), noting that 75 per cent of people in low- and middle-income nations go untreated for the mental-health disorder.

Further analysis of the NCU research findings revealed that the desire to be dead was more pronounced among younger men (eight per cent of the 18-21-year-old cohort, along with eight per cent of men 22-25 years of age). Nearly six per cent of men aged 26-29 and five per cent of those aged 30 and older expressed the sentiment.

NCU researchers believe that these findings reflect the view of the WHO that “the pandemic has affected the mental health of young people and that they are disproportionally at risk of suicidal and self-harming behaviours”.

Paul Bourne, interim director of institutional research at the Mandeville-based university, said the study “has brought a preview of the mental-health challenges experienced by Jamaican males, and this speaks to a silent killer that is been nurtured in the minds of these individuals”.

He suggested that the prolonged lockdown of the Jamaican economy aided in mental-health deterioration.

The NCU research team noted that the study has unearthed the mental health status of Jamaican males, yet there are no empirical studies post-COVID-19 on their healthcare-seeking behaviour. Despite the absence of objective inquiries into the healthcare-seeking behaviour of Jamaican males, they will continue to “hurt in silence” without statewide psychosocial interventions geared towards coping and depression.

Men Mask Depression

According to the NCU study, depression among men can be masked and, instead, appear as atypical signs and symptoms such as aggressive behaviour, participating in risky activities, substance abuse and suicidal ideations. Such behaviours negatively affect their ability to keep relationships with their family and friends and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “Many mistake these symptoms for other mental disorders, leading to the underdiagnosis of depression in men,” the NCU researchers noted.

The NCU study said the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the issue of depression among women more than men. Nevertheless, there has been an increase in depression among men.

A previous study done by the NCU research team also found a positive statistical relationship between psychological well-being and social isolation, suggesting that COVID-19 is creating mental changes among Jamaicans. However, sufficient research has not been done to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on depression, and whether Jamaican men have become more depressed after the pandemic ebbed.

The NCU researchers team included Ashley Williamson, Avery Gran, Shimona Mullings, Sharelle Sanderson, Shaunna-Kay Spence, James Fallah, Calvin Campbell, Clifton Foster, Caroline McLean, Tabitha Muchee, and Advella L. Meikle.

The team used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale to assess the level of depression in Jamaican males.

Other findings

· Severe depression was highest among the higher educational cohort (four per cent), compared to those with secondary education (3.5 per cent). However, males with secondary education were most likely to experience moderate depression, compared to the other educational cohort.

· Of those who were experiencing severe depression, most of them dwelled in Kingston and Andrew (24 per cent), followed by Clarendon (18 per cent), St Ann and Manchester (13 per cent each), and St Ann and St James (eight per cent each).

· Males in the 22-25 age cohort were the most likely to have reported attempting suicide (two per cent), compared to those aged 18-21 years old (1.2 per cent), 26-29-year-old (0.7 per cent), and others 30 and older (0.7 per cent).

· Those with at least a secondary level of education were more likely to attempt suicide, compared to those at primary-level education. Those with secondary-level education were most likely to attempt suicide of other educational cohorts.