Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression in Persons With Ostomies: A Cross-sectional Study.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of anxiety and depression in adults with ostomies and to identify associated factors.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional study.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING

The sample comprised 120 adults; all reside in a health region in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil.

METHODS

Participants responded to a questionnaire designed for purposes of this study. The questionnaire included 2 validated instruments-the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. In addition to measuring the prevalence of depression and anxiety, we used logistic regression models to identify factors associated with depression and anxiety. A backward method was adopted and the goodness-of-fit of the model was evaluated through the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. An odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to measure the effect size of these associations.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression in our sample was 26.7% (n = 32; 95% CI, 18.6-34.6). Slightly more than half of respondents (53.1%, n = 17) had mild depression, 34.3% (n = 11) had moderate depression, and 12.6% (n = 4) had had severe depression. The prevalence of anxiety in our sample was 52.5% (n = 63; 95% CI, 43.4-61.5). Slightly less than half 47.6% (n = 30) had mild anxiety; 36.5% (n = 23) reported moderate and 15.9% (n = 10) reported severe anxiety. The final multiple logistic regression model indicated that respondents with less supportive family relationships were more likely to have depression than respondents with greater family support (OR, 3.83; 95% CI, 1.30-11.25). Similarly, respondents with anxiety were more likely to experience depression when compared to individuals reporting no anxiety (OR, 6.32; 95% CI, 2.26-17.65).

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety and depression are prevalent in adults living with an ostomy; anxiety was more prevalent than depression. Respondents with less support from their family and those with anxiety were more likely to experience depression.