ISSN: 2161-0487
Inena Wa Inena Gaylord, Binti Mosunga Patricia, EtongoMozebo Sebastien, Alinatwe Rache, Peter Ogik, Kizza Faruck, Fazira Karuma, Ciza Pierre, Bambale Limengo, Ilunga Muland Roger, Joshua Muhumuza, Mutume Nzanzu Bives, Wingfield Rehmus, Forry Ben, Kirabira Joseph
Background: Depression is among the common psychiatric disorders with high prevalence in the general population. This prevalence is higher in vulnerable populations including people living with albinism. Despite the fact that several aspects linked with it have been found among people with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) in the Busoga region, limited information is available regarding prevalence of depression and its associated factors in the study area. The main objective of the present study was to determine the factors associated with the prevalence of depression among people with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) in Jinja.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to capture data from a study sample size of 384 adults living with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) who were involved in completion of the screening tests for depression Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25(HSCL-25). The summation of scores for depression were averaged and the probable depression determined for each participant using a cut-off of 1.75. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between depression outcomes, socio-demographic and psychomedical factors.
Results: The analyses revealed that the prevalence of depression among people with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) in Jinja city stands at 65.4%. Depression was significantly associated with age Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) (AOR=1.059, 95% CI=1.020-1.100, p=0.003), lack of family support (AOR=0.505, 95% CI=0.286-0.892, p=0.019), history of diabetes mellitus (AOR=12.030, 95% CI=1.117-12.961, p=0.040), marital status by being married (AOR=0.505, 95% CI=0.286-0.892, p=0.019) and taking chronically medication (AOR=6.583, 95% CI=1.618– 26.782, p=0.008).
Conclusion: These findings show that the estimated prevalence of depression among people with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) in the study area is high and worrying. Age, marital status, lack of family support, history of diabetes mellitus, and taking chronically medication are important risk factors associated with the prevalence of depressive disorders. Strategies targeting early interventions are needed in order to reduce risk factors of the disease and improve the quality of life of people with Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) in Jinja.