TITLE:
Correlates of Depression among Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Illnesses in Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Ahmad E. Aboshaiqah
KEYWORDS:
Chronic Illness, Depression, Stress, Life Satisfaction
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.15,
August
6,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: Depression contributes to an increased medical morbidity and mortality among patients with chronic medical illnesses. The purpose of this study was to investigate correlates of depression among patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross sectional survey using 412 patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses has been used to collected data in regards to depressive symptoms, psychological distress, coping, and life satisfaction. Results: 25.2% of the patients reported that they had moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and about 13.8% of them had mild level of depression. Psychological distress and life satisfaction were significant correlates with depressive symptoms (r = 0.33, 0.54, p