Year: 2026 | Month: September | Volume: 16 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 214-239
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260923
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Mental Disorders among Women in India: A Systematic Review
Apurvakumar Pandya1, Medha Wadhwa1, Riya Gogia2, Ananya Chakraborty3, Shivangi Shukla3, Riddhi Patel3, Praha Mehul Bhatt4, Deepti Bhatt5, Ajay Chauhan6
1Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
2Post Graduate Student, Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
3MPH Student, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
4Third-Year MBBS Student, Narendra Modi Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
5Senior Psychiatrist, Hospital for Mental Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
6Medical Superintendent, Hospital for Mental Health Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Corresponding Author: Apurvakumar Pandya
ABSTRACT
Background: Mental disorders contribute substantially to morbidity, disability, and reduced quality of life. Women in India experience mental health risks shaped by biological transitions, comorbid health conditions, gendered social roles, violence, poverty, and limited access to timely care. This review systematically synthesizes evidence on the prevalence and associated risk factors of mental disorders among women in India.
Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA 2020. PubMed, Epistemonikos, BASE, Google Scholar and reference lists were searched for eligible Indian studies published from January 2008 to July 2024. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. Analytical cross-sectional studies were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist; case-control and cohort studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Owing to substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesized narratively.
Results: Of 1,534 records identified, 114 full texts were assessed and 41 studies were included. Screening-positive depressive symptoms ranged from 5.7% to 76.8% across heterogeneous populations; postpartum depression ranged from 2.2% to 54.9%; anxiety disorders or clinically significant anxiety symptoms ranged from 0.74% to 71.3%; and common mental disorders ranged from 8.2% to 83.1%. The highest estimates arose mainly from selected clinical or highly exposed populations and should not be interpreted as population prevalence. Recurrent correlates included infertility, pregnancy and postpartum status, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, HIV, diabetes, socioeconomic disadvantage, limited education, widowhood, domestic or intimate partner violence, partner alcohol use, family conflict and inadequate social support. Most studies had moderate or low risk of bias, although selection bias, limited confounder control and inconsistent reporting reduced comparability.
Conclusion: Women in India experience a substantial and heterogeneous burden of mental disorders across the life course. Evidence supports a gender-responsive, community-based, and rights-oriented mental health approach that integrates screening, counselling, violence response, and referral within reproductive, and primary healthcare services.
Key words: Women, mental health, common mental disorders, risk factors