UA survey shows more Arkansans suffer from depression

New findings from the University of Arkansas’ health survey indicate nearly one in three people suffer from depression, which is higher than the estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 23.3%.

The Arkansas survey was based on roughly 10,000 responses across the state, showing health professionals the prevalence of more than 30 different indicators, including tobacco use, alcohol abuse and obesity, according to the UA.

Arkansas is one of two states, California being the other, to conduct an in-depth health survey to try and capture community-level insights.

“Understanding poor mental health at the community level transforms how we think about prevention and care,” said Michael Niño, associate professor of sociology and principal investigator of the survey. “It gives communities the evidence they need to build targeted, effective strategies to improve health and wellbeing.”

He said the difference between the findings of the Arkansas Health Survey and the CDC may reflect a rise in depression across the state, but it could also result from how the two surveys measure mental health. For instance, the CDC asks people if they have ever been diagnosed with a depressive disorder by a medical professional. The Arkansas Health Survey uses an eight-item screening tool to identify whether people are experiencing symptoms of depression, regardless of whether they have received a formal diagnosis.

Ana Bridges, a UA psychology professor, said most people who have or meet the criteria for clinical depression do not get help from anyone, let alone a mental health provider.

The Arkansas Health Survey also reveals where the burden of poor health is most concentrated. For depression, most Arkansas counties are near the statewide average of 30.8%. Only three counties have rates of 40% or higher — Miller, Grant, and Clay counties. Benton, Carroll, and Crawford counties came in at below 25%, while neighboring Washington County was higher, near the state average of 30.8% along with Madison and Sebastian counties.

In central Arkansas, Faulkner County ranked below 25%, but neighboring Pulaski County was just under the state average of 30.8%. In the Jonesboro metro area, Craighead, Lawrence, and Greene counties all have rates slightly below the state average of 30.8%.

When the data is examined at the census-tract level, however, the picture changes. Across the state, 140 census tracts have prevalence rates of 40% or higher, exposing pockets of mental health need that the county averages do not show. But the overall prevalence is lower.

“What makes the Arkansas Health Survey so powerful is its ability to show variation that would otherwise remain invisible,” Niño said.

He said nearly 30% of the high-prevalence tracts are in rural communities, where resources are often most limited.

“The real power of the Arkansas Health Survey is to link its results with other data to gather a three-dimensional picture of what’s happening in a community, because depression is more of an environmental condition than a biological one,” Bridges said.

Researchers said job losses or poverty could be factors leading to a greater prevalence of depression in some communities. Also, identifying places in Arkansas with lower rates of depression could help researchers understand the conditions that promote better mental health.