A Descriptive Study to Assess the Level of Depression among Transgender at Central Part of Gujarat

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of depression among the transgender. Design: Descriptive study. Settings: Central part of Gujarat state. Participants: Through purposive sampling technique, 70 transgenders aged between 15 and 75 years who scored mild-to-severe depression level on administering Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were selected. Interventions: Standardized tool administered to assess the level of depression among the transgender population at selected area of central Gujarat state. Outcome measures: In this study, the level of depression indicated by CES-D scale is administered to assess the depression level among the transgender population. Results: The results depict that majority of transgender (54%) were transgender women, majority of the transgender are in age group 46–60 years, all of them belong to Hindu religion, majority of them have primary and higher secondary education with the income of 5000–10,000 per month. All the participants screened possibility of major depression after administering CES-D scale (SD = 7.28, Mean = 36.09, Range = 19–48). Conclusion: This study confirms that transgender individuals have an increased risk of depression disorder due to the lack of societal support, separation from family, discrimination, isolation, gender identity problems, violence behaviour at work place, no scope for earning, sex work, poverty, and feeling loneliness due to which they have no life partner.