JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health disorders represent a growing global challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where women are disproportionately affected by social and structural inequalities. While women’s empowerment has been increasingly recognized as a strategy to improve physical health, its relationship to mental health remains less understood.

Objective:

This study examined the association between women’s empowerment and mental health symptoms among ever-married women in Bangladesh.

Methods:

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2022 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Women’s empowerment was measured using the SWPER Global index across three domains: attitudes toward violence, social independence, and decision-making. Associations between empowerment domains and depressive symptoms, anxiety, and any mental health symptoms were assessed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results:

Empowerment in the attitudes toward violence domain was significantly associated with mental health outcomes. Women with low empowerment in this domain had higher odds of depression (aOR 1.81; 95% CI: 1.16–2.81), anxiety (aOR 1.46; 95% CI: 1.10–1.94), and any mental health symptoms (aOR 1.63; 95% CI: 1.27–2.10). No significant associations were found for the social independence or decision-making domains.

Conclusions:

Attitude towards violence was associated with reduced prevalence of common mental health symptoms, highlighting the mental health benefits of addressing gender-based violence norms. Strengthening women’s empowerment strategies in national policies and health programs could represent a critical pathway for improving population mental health and advancing gender equity in Bangladesh and comparable settings.