Prevalence and Pattern of Depression among Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a syndrome characterised by chronic hyperglycemia due to deficiency or diminished effectiveness of circulating insulin.  Individuals with DM are more likely to experience depression than their apparently healthy counterparts. This crosssectional survey was undertaken  to determine the prevalence and pattern of depression among individuals with DM. A total of 144 persons with DM at the three major  health facilities in Kano State, Nigeria were recruited using convenience sampling. The Beck Depression Inventory II was used to assess depression  while weight and height were assessed using standard protocols. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to summarise the  data and Spearman rank order correlation was used to test the relationship between depression and socio-demographics (age, gender, marital  status, monthly income and level of education) with clinical characteristics (body mass index [BMI]), glycaemic control, co-morbidity and duration of  diabetes [DOD]). Depression occurred in 22.3% of the respondents with 25 (17.4%), 4 (2.8%) and 2 (1.4%) of them presenting with mild, moderate  and severe depression respectively. There was no significant relationship between depression and each of age, gender, marital status, monthly  income, BMI, glycaemic control, co-morbidity and DOD) (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, a significant relationship was found between depression and  respondents’ educational level (p < 0.05). It was concluded that the prevalence of depression among individuals with DM attending clinics in Kano  was low and seemed to be more related to individuals with lower educational attainment. Giving attention to individuals with lower educational  level to prevent and manage depression among individuals with DM might be warranted.