Unmasking the Mental Health Burden of Hypertension: Examining Psychological Distress, And Cognitive Function, Impact on Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Treatment in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

A major global public health concern is hypertension, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Pakistan. Despite the fact that its physical manifestations are widely recognized, little is known about its psychological effects and how they impact patients' quality of life (QoL) in clinical practice and research. The current study examined the relationship between the quality of life of patients with hypertension and psychological distress, including stress, anxiety, and depression.

METHODS

A total of 385 patients were recruited from a tertiary care facility in Lahore using a cross-sectional approach. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure psychological distress, and the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was used to measure quality of life. The Physical Component Summary (PCS-12) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS-12) are the two summary scores that are produced by the SF-12. Non-parametric tests like the Kruskal-Wallis -test and the Mann-Whitney -test were used in the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The findings showed substantial levels of psychological discomfort, with the most common severities being very severe anxiety (50.1%), severe depression (31.2%), and severe stress (46.8%). More significantly, there was a high association (p<0.001) between lower PCS-12 and MCS-12 scores and depression, anxiety, and stress, indicating a substantial negative impact of psychological distress on both the mental and physical aspects of quality of life. Psychological health and QoL results were also predicted by sociodemographic characteristics, including age, gender, income, education, and work status.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the value of integrating psychological evaluation and psychiatric assistance into the management of hypertension for enhanced overall health outcomes as well as patient quality of life.