THE EFFECT OF RETIREMENT ON THE PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION IN BABYLON GOVERNORATE/ IRAQ 2022

Background: Retirement is an important turning point in an individuals life and also a significant social stressor that can have an impact on physical and mental health, moving from a relatively busy and regular lifestyle to a relatively inactive one is a challenge, and the change of roles might be a trigger for some retirees to develop mental health problems, on the other hand, retirement provides people with more leisure time and opportunities as well as freedom from the stress of work, which might improve their mental health, however the relationship between retirement and mental health can vary by the type of retirement and country. Objectives: To assess the association between retirement and the prevalence of depression in Iraq Babylon 2022 Methods: Data was collected in a cross-sectional study at different district of Babylon health department primary health care centers for a period of four months, from September 2022 and ended at the end of November 2022, and included 250 participants, The questionnaire contained a depression scale that contained 8 questions, according to the total score before and after retirement the participant is either diagnosed to have depression or below the diagnostic score of 4. Results: 33 patients had depression before retirement (13.2 %), the number of patients raise to 51 (20.4 %) after retirement (Relative risk = 1.54). Conclusions: The prevalence of depression increase after retirement, the prevalence risk raised by 7.2 % after retirement, relative risk = 1.54.