TITTLE: DEPRESSION,SUICIDALITY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PEOPLE WITH DIABETES AND/OR HYPERTENSION IN SOUTHWESTERN UGANDA.
BY: DR. RAHEL NKOLA
SUPERVISORS:
- DR. SCHOLASTIC ASHABA
- DR. GODFREY ZARI RUKUNDO
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Depression and suicidality are more common among patients with chronic physical illnesses, including diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN). Both suicidality and depression are preventable and curable if diagnosed early and treated. However, these conditions go undetected, and underdiagnosed, and hence untreated during routine care of patients with chronic physical illnesses such as DM and HTN. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and factors associated with depression and suicidality among people living with DM and /or HTN in Uganda.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 512 people with DM and /or HTN at a tertiary hospital using a questionnaire that captured information on socio-demographic characteristics, depression based on PHQ-9 (cutoff: 10/27), and suicidality in the past 12-months. Multivariable logistic regression models were run to determine the factors associated with depression and suicidality among people with DM and/or HTN.
Results
Seventy-three percent of the participants were women. The mean age of the participants was 57.7 (SD=12.69). The prevalence of depression and suicidality was 22.07% and 8.59%, respectively. Fear of complications (AOR = 6.13; 95% CI = 2.58-14.56; p = 0.01) and being a widow/ widower (AOR = 6.94; 95% CI = 0.97-49.25; p = 0.05) increased the likelihood of depression among people with DM and/or HTN. A high level of antidiabetic medication adherence (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02-0.72; p = 0.02) reduced the likelihood of having depression among people with DM. However, none of the studied variables were associated with suicidality in this study.
Conclusion
Depression and suicidality are common among people with DM and/or HTN. Therefore, people with DM and/or HTN should be screened for depression and suicidality for earlier recognition and treatment.
