It has been found that more women in the United States have depression than men. Several studies have been conducted looking into possible explanations for this occurrence. One such topic of study has been the effects of hormonal birth control on depression in women. Studies have been conducted in an assortment of different countries and with varying age groups of women, but have found inconsistent results. In this study, we focused on American women of reproductive age (15-54 years) to determine if there is a relationship between their use of hormonal contraceptives and depression status. This was done using data from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the CDC. Two different methods of organizing the hormonal birth control variable were utilized; one was a yes/no answer for if hormonal contraceptives were used, and the other was broken down by type of birth control used. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to find that women using hormonal birth control were 2.24 times more likely to have depression than women not using birth control. It was also determined that women using suppositories, creams, and injections as their birth control method were 3.58 times more likely to experience depression while there was no relationship found between hormonal pills or patches with depression. More studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted in the future to determine if a stronger relationship between hormonal birth control use and depression exists among women of reproductive age.
Author(s): Beth Allen, Chemistry and Public Health Major
Abby Sopiarz, Public Health and Music Major
Advisor(s): Saruna Ghimire, Department of Sociology and Gerontology
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