Abstract
Objectives:
To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among diabetic patients suffering from retinopathy, and to identify crucial risk factors that affect patients’ quality of life and whether social support mediates the relationship between retinopathy and depression.
Methods:
The sample comprises 155 participants with diabetic retinopathy recruited from the Jordan University Hospital during the year 2017. Arabic versions of all study tools were employed as follows: the Beck Depression Inventory; the short form of the health survey; the Berlin social support scale; ophthalmic examinations; patients’ records; and a demographic questionnaire.
Analyses:
Descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation, linear regression using SPSS, and mediation analysis using the Sobel test were applied. In addition, the odds ratio analysis and qualitative analyses for the open-ended questions were included.
Results:
In general, 13 (8.9%) of our patients did not manifest any symptoms of depression while 42 (27.1%) had a mild mood disturbance, 26 (16.8%) were on the borderline of clinical depression, 47 (30.3%) had moderate depression, 22 (14.2%) with severe depression, and 5 (3.2%) had extreme depression. The results indicate a nonsignificant positive correlation between social support and health-related quality of life and a nonsignificant positive relationship between retinopathy severity and depression. Meanwhile, our results revealed a significant negative relationship between depression and social support and a nonsignificant negative relationship between retinopathy severity and social support.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that diabetic patients with retinopathy have a higher risk of developing depression. Hence, psychological interventions are highly needed to meet the mental health needs of these patients.
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