Background
Diabetes Mellitus and depression are two common public health problems affecting people all over the world. As being diagnosed
with Diabetes Mellitus is a major life stress per se, the prevalence of depression among diabetics is high. Depression is believed to influence the treatment outcomes and prognosis of Diabetes Mellitus as well as the quality of life among diabetics. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence of depression and to assess the factors associated with it among patients with Type Two Diabetes Mellitus.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study involving a total of 400 respondents from Nablus governorate’s Primary health care centers. Subjects were evaluated for depression using the Arabic version of the Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire as a data collecting tool. Patients were interviewed to gather data on socio-demographics & medical factors as well as chronic illnesses or complications of Diabetes Mellitus.
Results
A total of 400 respondents were interviewed. The mean age of the patients was 58.5 year and the majority (61.5%) was females. The prevalence of depression among diabetic patients, regardless of the severity, was found to be as high as 28.3% (113 out of 400 patients). The prevalence of severe depression was found to be 4% of the whole sample. Both the Diabetes control status and residency were significantly associated with depression (p values= 0.023, OR=2.182) & (p value= 0.013, OR= 1.959), respectively.
Conclusion
The prevalence of depression among diabetic patients is as relatively high. This does deserve to be taken into consideration while following diabetic patients up. Controlled diabetes appeared to be a protective factor against depression.