Depressive Symptoms among Kuwaiti Population Attending Primary Healthcare Setting: Prevalence and Influence of Sociodemographic Factors

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive disorders and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on primary healthcare (PHC) setting in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in PHC setting in Kuwait using the Beck Depression Inventory second edition questionnaire (BDI II) as a screening instrument, together with a sociodemographic questionnaire. A representative sample drawn from the target population consisted of 2,320 subjects of Kuwaiti nationality randomly selected from 18 PHC centers covering all Kuwait governorates during the period from April 2003 to January 2004. The target age group was 21–64 years. Participants were asked to complete the BDI II questionnaire consisting of 21 items reflecting the depressive disorder independently. Sociodemographic data such as sex, age, marital status, children, occupation, educational status, chronic diseases and social problems were included in the questionnaire. The optimum cutoff score for BDI II was estimated. Results: A total of 2,320 participants completed the questionnaire, 1,082 (46.8%) male and 1,237 (53.2%) female; 860 (37.1%) screened positive for depressive symptoms, among whom 352 (15.3%) were male and 508 (21.7%) female. Of all participants, 163 (7.0%) were severely depressed, 314 (13.5%) moderately depressed and 383 (16.5%) mildly depressed. Depressive disorder was more prevalent among women than men, young than old, more among highly educated individuals, working participants, married individuals, and parents with 3 or more children. Conclusion: Depressive disorder is a highly prevalent condition among Kuwaiti patients attending PHC setting. Chronic diseases and social problems are risk factors for depressive disorder.

Magnitude of depression problem among primary care consumers in Saudi Arabia

“…The rate was lower than that reported in Riyadh (18.8%) and Kuwait (20.5%) [12,13] and higher than in Qatar (13.5%, 2010). [14] Similar studies conducted in European countries revealed a prevalence rate ranging from 16.5% to 22.8%, [15][16][17] indicating that the rates in Gulf Region are comparable with those of Europe.…”

“…[10,11] The scale consists of nine questions, for which the answers ranged from ''not at all'' (given a score of 0) to ''nearly every day'' (given a score of 3) experiencing the symptom within the last 2 weeks. The total score was calculated and categorized into no depression (0-4), mild depression (5-9), moderate depression (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), and severe depression (15+). Weight and height were also measured for 836 participants (with a response rate of 98.4%), and body mass index (BMI) was calculated and categorized into underweight (less than 18.5 kg/m 2 ), normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), obesity (30-34.9), and severe obesity (more than 35 kg/m 2 ).…”

Dimensional and hierarchical models of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II in an Arab college student sample

“…Responses are summed to yield a total score that ranges from 0 to 63. The BDI-II has been used in previous studies of samples of students and primary health care attendees in the Arabian Gulf, including Kuwait [36,51,52], and an Arabic translation exists, produced by the method of back-translation. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the 21 items, using the responses of all participants was 0.83.…”

Prevalence of unrecognized depression and associated factors among patients attending medical outpatient department in Adare Hospital, Hawassa, Ethiopia

“…The review of research evidence available indicates that the primary health-care clinician’s ability to detect depressive disorders is important to prevent suicide and reduce health-care cost because patients with depression visit health facilities frequently 5. However, the clinician’s ability to detect depression is sometimes affected by the presence of comorbidities.…”

“…Studies carried out so far in different countries of the world5,18–26 have shown that symptoms of depression among medical patients were common and were associated with various factors. However, little is known about the prevalence of depression among medical patients.…”