Data from: Social network analysis of psychological morbidity in an urban slum of Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study based on a community census

Background Social ties are believed to play important roles in mitigating
depression and anxiety, as well as fostering mental health in the
population. We test this association for young urban men in Bangladesh.
Methods Using a locally adapted GHQ-12 instrument, we enumerate
self-reported mental health outcomes for 824 post-adolescent young men
between the ages of 18 and 29 in a low-income urban community in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. We further measure the social network for all our subjects and
estimate the association of social network of the respondents with
self-reported mental health outcomes controlling for possible confounders.
Results We find there are considerable variations in both the mental
health outcomes and social network across respondents. The GHQ scores
(mean = 9.2, SD = 4.9) suggest significant psychological morbidity among
the respondents. However, our findings imply better social ties and
connections can potentially mitigate negative mental health outcomes
(0.05-0.65 lower standardized GHQ score). Among other factors, being
married and a recent migrant are also associated with better mental health
status (0.17-0.20 and 0.16-0.17 lower standardized GHQ scores
respectively). Conclusion Our results underscore the importance of social
connection in providing buffer against stress and anxiety through
psychosocial support from one’s peer in a resource constraint urban
setting. Our findings also suggest incorporating social network and ties
in designing mental health policies and interventions.