Table II.
Depression and anxiety by caste (n=307).
| Mental health continuous outcomes | Mental health categorical outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| Mean total score (95% CI) | t-statistic1 | p-value | No. (%) above cutoff2 | Odds Ratio (95% CI)3 | p-value | |
| Depression (BDI) | ||||||
| High Caste4 (n=232) | 15.03 (13.93—16.13) | 4.23 | <.001 | 66 (28.4) | 1.00 [Ref.] | .001 |
| Dalit/Nepali (n=75) | 19.98 (17.75—22.22) | 37 (50.0) | 2.51 (1.47—4.31) | |||
| Total sample (N=307) | 16.24 (15.23—17.25) | 103 (33.7) | ||||
| Anxiety (BAI) | ||||||
| High Caste4 (n=232) | 10.69 (9.58—11.80) | 5.18 | <.001 | 47 (20.3) | 1.00 [Ref.] | <.001 |
| Dalit/Nepali (n=75) | 18.11 (15.49—20.73) | 38 (50.7) | 4.04 (2.32—7.04) | |||
| Total sample (N=307) | 12.50 (11.39—13.61) | 85 (27.7) | ||||
1
Independent t-tests were used to compare continuous scale mean scores between High Caste and Dalit/Nepali caste.
2
Validated Nepali cutoff scores indicating moderate or severe distress and need for mental health intervention are 20 or greater for the BDI (Kohrt et al. 2002) and 17 or greater for the BAI (Kohrt et al. 2003).
3
Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio estimate and Wald confidence intervals with High Caste as the referent group.
4
High Caste includes Brahman and Chhetri castes.