Prevalence and associated factors of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse in Northwest Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

Sileshi Ayele Abebe; Zelalem Mengistu Gashaw; Zelalem Ayichew; Dessie Abebaw Angaw; Endeshaw Asaye Kindie

doi:10.1186/s12905-024-03162-4

Prevalence and associated factors of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse in Northwest Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

BMC Womens Health. 2024 May 30;24(1):313. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03162-4.

Authors

Sileshi Ayele Abebe¹, Zelalem Mengistu Gashaw², Zelalem Ayichew², Dessie Abebaw Angaw³, Endeshaw Asaye Kindie⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. sileshi.ayele@uog.edu.et.
² Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Depression is a symptom characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration. One of the most common mental illnesses in the world and a major contributor to morbidity and mortality is depression. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of depression and the risk factors associated with it in women who had advanced pelvic organ prolapse.

Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine depression among advanced pelvic organ prolapse women at Gondar University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. All women who have advanced pelvic organ prolapse were consecutively included till it reached a total of 367 participants over four months. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and depression status of the participants. Depression measures were obtained by using the Patient Health Questionnaire tool, which is validated in the Ethiopian local language for chronic illnesses including pelvic organ prolapse using a cut point of five and above, which is considered to indicate depression. Women who screened positive were linked to a psychiatric clinic for further evaluation and treatment. Data was entered into a computer using Epi Info version 3.5.3 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regressions were fitted and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals with a P value less than 0.05 were used to identify statistically significant factors.

Results: The prevalence of depression was found to be 47.1% (95% CI: 43-52%). Being rural (AOR = 4.8; CI: 1.11-16.32), having a history of divorce because of pelvic organ prolapse (AOR = 5.5; CI: 1.85-16.32) and having a history of urinary symptoms (AOR = 3.1; CI: 1.12-8.59) were found to be independently associated with depression.

Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse in this study is high as compared to other studies. Depression screening strategies should be designed for the early identification and treatment of depression among women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse.

Keywords: Depression; Depressive symptoms; Pelvic organ prolapse; Urogenital prolapse; Vaginal vault prolapse.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression* / epidemiology
Depression* / psychology
Ethiopia / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Pelvic Organ Prolapse* / complications
Pelvic Organ Prolapse* / epidemiology
Pelvic Organ Prolapse* / psychology
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires