The Prevalence of Symptoms of Depression in An Australian General Population

The prevalence of depressive symptoms was estimated in a random sample of an Australian general population by administration of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (S.D.S.). Rates, calculated according to criteria derived from a previously studied clinical sample, were somewhat higher in this population than had been reported in similar studies elsewhere. It was reasoned that this finding related to the relative laxity of criteria employed in the present study.

Socio-demographic influences on the reporting of depressive symptoms were evident, the most prominent of these being the sex of the subject. It was suggested that these influences may underlie socio-demographic differences in rates of recognized depressive states occurring within clinical samples.