Background: There is a close
association between poor
mental health status and both poor physical
health and decreased
productivity . An evidence base on the
risk factors for
psychological distress in low-
income countries is lacking and is much needed to help develop appropriate interventions. We aimed to estimate the
prevalence of
psychological distress in urban
Pakistan and identify associated
risk factors and functional disability.
Methods: This was a
population -based study of 18–75-year-olds in urban
Pakistan . The
Self -
Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was offered to 1000
adults to
measure psychological distress . The
Life Events
Checklist , Oslo-3 for
Social Support and Brief Disability
Questionnaires were used to establish social stressors, support and functional disability.
Results: Questionnaires were completed by 880 (94%) eligible participants, of whom 41% of
women and 19% of
men scored 9 or more on the SRQ (possible range 0–20). Low
educational status was associated with high rates of
psychological distress .
Women had significantly higher levels of distress than
men and were less likely to receive practical support.
Conclusions: The
prevalence of
psychological distress was lower in urban Karachi than that reported previously for rural Punjab province,
Pakistan . However, in urban Karachi, as in rural Punjab,
socioeconomic status seemed to have more of an impact on the
mental health of
women than that of
men .