Depression and quality of life among people with Diabetes Mellitus attending selected clinics at Teaching Hospital Batticaloa

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing global health concern with profound impacts on both physical and mental well-being. Among its many complications, depression and reduced quality of life (QoL) are particularly prevalent, yet often overlooked. This study aim to assess the prevalence of depression and evaluate the QoL among individuals with DM attending selected clinics at Teaching Hospital Batticaloa. Additionally, it seeks to identify the relationship between various socio-demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors with depression and QoL in this population. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of depression and evaluate the QoL among individuals with DM attending endocrinology, medical, and surgical clinics at Teaching Hospital Batticaloa. A stratified random sampling method was employed to recruit 192 participants and, divided equally among the three clinics. Standardized instruments, including the Beck Depression Inventory-I and SF-36 Health Survey, were used for data collection. Among the 192 participants, majority were female (63.5%) and married (72.4%), with the highest proportion aged 45–59 years (31.3%). Most had education up to O/L (30.2%) and were unemployed (46.9%). Regarding depression, 52.6% had minimal, 38.5% mild, and 8.9% moderate depression. Non of the participants were reported with severe depression. The mean scores across all clinics showed moderate level of physical and mental health. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) had an overall mean of 56.67 and Mental Component Summary (MCS) had a higher mean of 63.46, including relatively better perceived mental health than physical health among the diabetic population. Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed significant differences in energy/fatigue (p < 0.001) and general health (p = 0.004) across clinics. All other SF36 domains showed no any significant differences across the three clinics, suggesting that the role limitation functioning, social support and emotional well-being remained relatively consistent irrespective of clinical type. Depression is common among diabetic patients attending various outpatient clinics, with mild and minimal depression forming the bulk of cases. Though physical and mental quality of life measures were moderate, domains such as energy/fatigue and general health need attention.