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Background: Women of reproductive age face unique stressors that can contribute to mental health challenges. In low-resource settings like Ethiopia, help-seeking behavior for mental health issues remains low, potentially compromising women's quality of life. This study aims to assess help-seeking behavior and quality of life among women of reproductive age experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in northwest Ethiopia from March to May 2021, using an interviewer-administered questionnaire for data collection. Screening of stress, anxiety, and depression was conducted among 804 study participants. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Brief) and the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire were used to assess health-related quality of life and help-seeking behavior, respectively. Independent sample t-tests and ANOVA were conducted to examine group differences in quality of life, while simple and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with quality of life among women experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Result: The average quality of life score among women of reproductive age in the stress group was 35.27 (95% CI: 34.27, 36.28), followed by the anxiety group with a mean score of 35.05 (95% CI: 34.24, 35.87), and the lowest in the depression group at 34.04 (95% CI: 33.26, 34.81). On average, 21.75% of participants sought formal help for stress, 24.6% for anxiety, and 23.65% for depression. Quality of life among women experiencing stress varied across sociodemographic variables. Women who were divorced or widowed had a mean (SD) quality of life score of 20.22±0.83, while those residing in rural areas had a mean (SD) score of 9.57±1.75. Women with no formal education had a mean score of 20.33±4.05, and farmers had a mean score of 20.46±3.06. Additionally, women with anxiety had lower mean scores in psychological and social quality of life, at 16.42±2.55 and 8.96±1.73, respectively. Women who used contraceptives reported a better quality of life, with a mean (SD) score of 22.71±4.07, compared to those who did not. Women with depression have low mean score of quality of life with mean score of 7.67±1.37.
Conclusion: Women of reproductive age in this study exhibited a low quality of life and underutilized formal help sources across all disorders. Quality of life varied based on factors such as marital status, occupation, education, residence, suicidal behaviors, contraceptive use, and history of abortion. Additionally, being divorced or widowed, living in rural areas, having a history of abortion, and having an unemployed husband were significantly associated with lower quality of life. Therefore, to address these disparities, improving access to reproductive health services, integrating mental health screening and support into primary healthcare, and implementing appropriate interventions could enhance help-seeking behavior and improve the quality of life for women of reproductive age.
