Assessment of Depressive Symptoms and Sociodemographic Correlates of Adult Patients Attending a National Health Insurance Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital, Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Depression affects individuals across all age groups, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. Socio-demographic correlates of depression may include factors such as age, gender, education level, income, and marital status. These factors, including the presence of chronic diseases, have been shown to impact the prevalence and severity of depression. This study assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with socio-demographic correlates and co-morbid chronic medical conditions among adult patients attending a National Health Insurance Clinic of a tertiary health facility in Southwest Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY

A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between April - May 2023 in which 250 consenting adult patients were recruited using a systematic random sampling technique. Respondents' information on socio-demographic profiles and awareness of co-morbid medical conditions were assessed using semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The strength of the association between independent and dependent variables was measured using chi-square and the p-value was set as <0.05.

RESULTS

The mean age of respondents was 38.96±13.096 years (range: 18-80 years). There were 159 (63.6%) females. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 44.8%. There was a statistically significant association between age, gender, marital status, monthly income, presence of chronic diseases, and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among adult patients attending the National health insurance clinic was 44.8%. These findings call for health policies to integrate and strengthen mental health in NHIA primary care.