Prevalence of Depression in Patients with β-Thalassemia as Assessed by the Beck's Depression Inventory

• Published in: Hemoglobin Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 289 - 291
• Main Authors: Shafiee, Akbar, Nazari, Shiva, Jorjani, Soudeh, Bahraminia, Emad, Sadeghi-Koupaei, Mohammadtaghi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa Healthcare USA, Inc 01.01.2014; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Beck's Depression Inventory; beta-Thalassemia - complications; Cross-Sectional Studies; depression; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; epidemiology; Female; Humans; Iran; Iran - epidemiology; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; thalassemia; Young Adult; Iran; epidemiology; Beck’s Depression Inventory; thalassemia; depression; Iran
• ISSN: 0363-0269; 1532-432X
• DOI: 10.3109/03630269.2014.929008

Abstract β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is a frequent, chronic hereditary disease, and a plausible cause for psychological disorders. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify the rate and severity of depression among Iranian patients with β-thal using the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). β-Thalassemic patients aged 13-20 years [median age 17.2 years; 27 males (48.2%), 29 females (51.8%)], who presented to the Mofid Children Hospital, Tehran, Iran, for blood transfusions within a 1-year period, were asked to complete the BDI questionnaire. Based on the BDI score, patients were classified as normal or mild-to-severe depression groups, and the collected data were then analyzed according to age and sex. A total of 56 subjects completed the BDI form. Mean score for BDI was 14.27 ± 12.79. Based on the BDI results, 35 (62.5%) had a BDI score below 16 and were therefore not classified as being depressed, while seven (12.5%) patients suffered from severe depression (BDI > 47). Age and gender did not have any significant association with the BDI results (p = 0.52 and p = 0.67, respectively). The total prevalence of various degrees of depression was 30.8% in this study. We concluded that the noticeable rate of depression in thalassemic patients signifies the necessity for improving psychosocial care in this specific group of patients.