Predictors of depression among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness in Northwest Ethiopia, 2023: an explanatory sequential mixed-method study.

Background

Severe mental illness results in an enormous social and economic burden on affected individuals, their families, and communities, especially in developing countries, such as Ethiopia.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the level of depression among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia in 2023.

Methods

This institution-based explanatory mixed study was conducted at Debre Tabor Compressive Specialized Hospitals between September 30 to October 30, 2023. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 260 study participants, and a public health questionnaire was used to assess depression. Epicollect5 was used to collect data, which were then exported to the SPSS-25 for analysis. Variables with a

Results

The prevalence of depression was 31.3% (95% CI = 29.7-38.6). The multivariate analysis showed that being female (AOD = 2.43, CI = 1.42-7.23), divorced/widowed (AOD = 1.8, CI = 1.32-6.34), poor social support (AOD = 2.2, CI = 1.9-5.87), and perceived stigma (AOD = 2.33, CI = 0.24-13.22) were positively associated with depression. The qualitative results suggest that being female, illiterate, severity of the illness, poor social support, and stigma were factors for depression.

Conclusions and recommendations

The prevalence of depression was high among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness. Female sex, being divorced or widowed, being illiterate, poor social support, and perceived stigma were the contributing factors. This implies that a greater focus on caregivers and the government increases mental health literacy and mental health community services.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 Munie, Birhan, Legas, Asnakew, Belete, Beyene, Shiferaw, Mulu, Kassie, Aytenew and Tedla.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.