Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is widespread metabolic disorders with long-term complications, which include significant psychosocial dysfunctions such as depression and physiological dysfunctions such as diabetic foot (DF). Related to diabetic studies in general, the prevalence of depression is high and causes deterioration in health related outcomes and quality of life, whereas the studies about depression and diabetic foot in specific are meager and insufficient. Purposes: The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of depression, to identify factors associated with depression, and to identify the rate of unscreened depression among diabetic foot patients. Methods: The design of this study is cross-sectional. A convenience sampling of 216 diabetic foot patients was recruited from diabetic clinics of government hospitals in Jordan during the period from January 2016 to March 2016. Data was collected using a structured self-report questionnaire which consisted of 2 sections including socio-demographic questions with one self-reported question, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale to assess depression. Results: The current study showed that 179 diabetic foot patients (82.9%) had depression according to PHQ-9 scale with different levels of depression, namely, mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe that consist 25%, 25.5%, 18.5%, and 13.9% of the total sample respectively. Multiple linear regression showed that the availability of social support by the family and being a nurse as main healthcare provider were associated with low depression scores among DF patients, also high glycated hemoglobin was associated with high depression scores (F=8.923, p=0.001). Conclusion: Prevalence of depression among Jordanian diabetic foot patients and the rate of unscreened depression were high, which indicates an urgent need for thorough assessment of depression level that may help in early detection, treatment, and prevention of depression among diabetic foot patients. Several factors viewed to be associated with depression level that should take into consideration in the diabetic foot care plans.