Symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with thalassemia: Prevalence and correlates in the thalassemia longitudinal cohort

Abstract

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires lifelong adherence to a complicated and burdensome medical regimen which could potentially impact emotional functioning of patients. The importance of understanding and promoting healthy emotional functioning is crucial not only to psychological well-being, but also to physical health as it has been shown to impact adherence to medical regimens [1–4]. The current study aimed to [1] determine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescent and adult patients with thalassemia; and [2] explore possible demographic, medical, and psychosocial correlates of these symptoms in 276 patients (14–58 years old, M age = 27.83; 52% female). Overall, most patients did not report experiencing significant symptoms of anxiety and depression (33% of participants indicated experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 11% symptoms of depression). Females and older patients were more likely to experience these symptoms than males and younger patients. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively associated with self-report of difficulty with adherence and negatively associated with quality of life. Given these findings, regular screening for anxiety and depression symptoms could help to identify at-risk individuals to provide them with appropriate psychological support with the goal of improving both emotional and physical health.

Changes in the quality of life of people with thalassemia major between 2001 and 2009

“…Overall, these findings show that the majority of patients diagnosed with thalassemia major do not experience psychosocial and mental problems, and are in contrast with studies conducted in Italy8 and other countries18,19 that show striking impairments in social functioning, role-emotional, and mental component summary scores. Some researchers have identified and studied the characteristics of the psychosocial burden of thalassemia, focusing on social isolation, self-esteem, family adjustment, education, and sporting activity.…”

Brain functional impairment in beta‐thalassaemia: the cognitive profile in Italian neurologically asymptomatic adult patients in comparison to the reported literature

“…The prevalence of psychological disorders has been often investigated in beta‐thalassaemia, mainly focusing on anxiety, depression and overall quality of life. (Pakbaz et al , ; Mednick et al , ; Musallam et al , ; Shafiee et al ,; Yengil et al , ; Maheri et al , ) Although studies differed widely for cohort age (mean‐age range from 14 [Pakbaz et al , ; ] to 27 years [Mednick et al , ; ]) and psychometric tools (Beck's Depression Inventory (Shafiee et al ,; Yengil et al , ; Khoury et al , ), State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (Khoury et al , ), Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Chart System (COOP) questionnaire (Pakbaz et al , ), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and quality of life (SF‐36) (Mednick et al , ), symptoms of anxiety and depression were detected among beta‐thalassaemia patients with high prevalence rate (depression 11–35% and anxiety 33–58·8%, Mednick et al , ; Khoury et al , ; Yengil et al , ; ). However, all these studies lacked a control group, missing the opportunity to show the effective role of beta‐thalassaemia in determining these symptoms.…”

Beliefs about chelation among thalassemia patients

“…Addressing patients’ beliefs about the tolerability of medications has the prospect for gains not just in adherence, but also in quality of life and decreased anxiety/depression, which have been found to be impaired in thalassemia [25,26]. How to address these beliefs is a challenge because patient experience of side effects and clinical complications of thalassemia are not only associated with higher sensitive Soma scores but also impaired quality of life [25].…”