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Factors Associated with Depression Among Male Casual Laborers in Urban Vietnam

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Abstract

This study examined the level, the prevalence of and the factors associated with depression among male casual laborers in Hanoi. Social mapping was done to recruit and interview 450 men aged over 18 years, mostly unskilled and unregistered laborers from 135 street venues across 13 districts of the city using a structured questionnaire . Most were from rural and mountainous provinces and did manual works such as motorbike taxi drivers, porters, construction workers, small traders and others in the current city. The prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms (25 %) was high. Structural equation modeling showed that marriage, family separation and living with peers or partners were three significant distal risk factors, while illicit drug use and low social connectedness were proximal predictors of depression. Of all factors, social connectedness appeared to be the most important because it plays a mediating role. Drug use was an independent risk factor. This study provides a model to understand the mental health of male casual laborers and to develop culturally appropriate intervention programs for these men.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants awarded from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation from the Queensland University of Technology, and the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program (AusAID). The authors also thank the field teams for their tireless efforts to assist this study. The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of all casual male laborers in the survey interviews in Hanoi city, Vietnam.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Management and Organization, Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, 01 Ton That Tung Str., Dong Da Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam

    Nguyen Van Huy

  2. School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

    Michael P. Dunne

  3. Brisbane Sexual Health and HIV Service, MetroNorth Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia

    Joseph Debattista

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  1. Nguyen Van Huy
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  2. Michael P. Dunne
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  3. Joseph Debattista
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Correspondence to Nguyen Van Huy.

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Van Huy, N., Dunne, M.P. & Debattista, J. Factors Associated with Depression Among Male Casual Laborers in Urban Vietnam. Community Ment Health J 51, 575–584 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-015-9835-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-015-9835-y

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