RESEARCH CASE STUDY: Opinion survey
Understanding the Economic Burden of Mental Health Conditions in Indonesia
Assessing the societal and economic impacts of anxiety and depression through a nationwide survey.
Economic Burden of Mental Health Conditions in Indonesia
Project background:
The Duke–NUS Medical School commissioned a comprehensive study to evaluate the economic consequences of common mental health conditions, specifically anxiety and depression. This project aimed to capture both the direct costs (such as healthcare utilization) and the indirect costs (such as absenteeism, presenteeism, and educational disruptions) associated with these conditions.
The survey targeted both adults and children across Indonesia, ensuring representation that reflects the country’s diverse gender and ethnic distribution. The findings will help inform healthcare interventions, economic planning, and targeted support programs.
Challenge:
- Sensitive Nature of the Topic: Questions on mental health and healthcare usage required a culturally sensitive approach to ensure respondents felt safe sharing personal experiences. Ensuring ethical compliance and respondent confidentiality was paramount.
- Dual Respondent Groups: The study included 350 adults and 150 children, with adults reporting both on their own health and on behalf of children in their household. This structure required careful questionnaire design to maintain clarity and consistency across respondent types.
- Complex Screening Requirements: All participants had to be Indonesian citizens aged 18 or older and screen positive for anxiety or depression via the PHQ-4 scale. The screener also included proxy PHQ-4 assessments for every household member, adding operational complexity.
- Diverse Data Points: The main questionnaire covered multiple domains: healthcare utilization, productivity loss (work and school), and economic burden, requiring precise translation, localization, and programming to retain meaning and ensure cross-cultural validity.
Methodology:
- Study type: Polling / Opinion survey
- Client: Duke–NUS Medical School
- Services provided: Full-Service Quantitative Research
- Market studied: Indonesia
- Total Sample Size: 500 respondents (350 adults, 150 children)
Outcome:
The project was executed on time and with full adherence to ethical standards, despite the challenges of sensitive content, multi-level screening, and proxy reporting. Duke–NUS Medical School now has access to a detailed, nationally representative dataset to quantify the economic burden of anxiety and depression in Indonesia, empowering evidence-based policymaking and targeted intervention strategies.
