Systematic psychiatric assessment of patients with sickle cell disease

OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of the psychological problems such as depression and anxiety in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Tabuk region, northwestern Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 89 patients with SCD was assessed in the outpatient clinics of King Salman Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia between March 2017 and August 2017. Two validated Arabic translated questionnaires, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), were used to assess the type and degree of psychopathology (anxiety or depression) each patient suffered. Chi-square test was used to assess the differences between anxiety and depression levels according to the different sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: The values were computed by analyzing the Cronbach’s alphas for the GAD-7 (0.83) and PHQ-9 (0.81) questionnaires. The rate of depression was 36% and anxiety was 29%. Female patients with SCD reported a higher incidence of depression and anxiety than males (p>0.05). Patients with a higher level of education were significantly more anxious about their illness than those with a lower level education (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: A statistically insignificant association was reported between depression and anxiety with regard to gender; however, female patients reported a higher incidence of depression and anxiety than male patients. A significant association with anxiety was reported among patients with higher levels of education.