Prevalence of Depression and/or Anxiety Disorders among Patients with Diabetes and/or Hypertension at UNRWA Health Centers at Gaza Strip
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Date
2010-06-19
Authors
Taysier Awadallah El-Amassie
تيسير عوض الله العمصي
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Al-Quds University
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this study was, to determine the prevalence of depression and/or anxiety
disorders among patients with diabetes and /or hypertension, attending the UNRWA health
centers at Gaza Strip.
Method: The study sample consisted of 400 patients, selected from five health centers, 80
subjects from each center, selected randomly, every tenth patient was selected. The subjects
were tested using; sociodemographic scale, Inventory depression scale, and Taylor's
Manifest anxiety scale.
Results: Three hundred and eighty eight patients responded, the response rate was (97.0%),
62.6% were females, and 37.4% were males. The study showed that 44.3 % had diabetes,
28.1% had hypertension, and 27.6% had both diseases. The study showed that, anxiety rate
was51.3% and depression rate was 48.1%. The study showed that, 44.2% of diabetics had
depression and 45.4% of hypertensive patients had depression, 49.3% of diabetics had anxiety
while 45.1% of hypertensive had anxiety. The study showed that among patients with visual
problems, 11.6% with severe depression, and among patients with amputation of the limps,
25.0% had severe depression. The study showed that, those with visual problems, 6.1% with
severe anxiety , and with amputated limps 25.0% with severe anxiety, the figures related to
other complications were statistically not significant. The study showed that patients with
uncontrolled hypertension reported 20.2% with severe depression, patients with uncontrolled
hypertension reported 5.0% with severe anxiety.
The results showed that, depression among females was 52.1%, and among males 43.1% and
anxiety was 54.3% among females and 46.2% among males. The results showed that 29.0%
of the 5th age group had severe depression, and 62.8% had anxiety. Depression and anxiety
among who live in villages, where 52.8% had depression, and 26.0% had severe depression,
and 59.8 % had anxiety. 53.9% of unemployed had depression, and 56.6% had anxiety, 56.6%
with income less than 250$/month had depression, and 59.0% had anxiety. 91.5% of illiterate
had depression, and 85.7% had anxiety. 36.0% of the widowed had severe depression, and
12.1% with sever anxiety. The study showed, who live in nuclear families 54.4% had
depression and 54.8% had anxiety.
Conclusion: Both diabetes and hypertension were an important contributor to the
presence of depression and anxiety, their contribution increased with the
uncontrollability of either of them, and with the development of their complications,
additional risk factors were female, unemployment, poverty, low educational level,
live in a village, live in a nuclear family, and being widow.