Abstract:
Background. Diabetes mellitus and depression are very common diseases worldwide, and the prevalence rates of both conditions are
increasing rapidly. Depression among patients with diabetes mellitus results in poor glycemic control through different
mechanisms. Besides, the coexistence of a chronic medical illness with depression reduces the probability of recognizing and
treating depression. The study is aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with depression among adults with
diabetes mellitus. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult diabetes mellitus patients on
follow-up in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital and Tepi General Hospital. A consecutive sampling technique was
employed to recruit the study participants, and data were collected through face-to-face interview and medical chart review.
Depression was measured using Patient Health Questionnaire-nine (PHQ-9). Binary logistic regression analysis was done and a
p value of less than 0.05 was used as a level of significance. Results. The prevalence of depression among study participants was
37.0% (95% CI 32.0%-42.0%). The majority (44.7%) of the patients had mild depression, while only 2% had severe depression.
Being male (AOR = 1:92, 95% CI: 1.15-3.22), urban residence (AOR = 3:02, 95% CI: 1.57-5.78), single marital status
(AOR = 7:72, 95% CI: 3.6-16.53), duration of diabetes mellitus 5 years and more (AOR = 2:00, 95% CI: 1.21-3.5), and having
sexual dysfunction (AOR = 3:55, 95% CI: 2.13-5.91) were associated with increased odds of depression among diabetes mellitus
patients. Conclusions. The prevalence of depression among diabetes mellitus was high. Therefore, the patients should be
thoroughly screened for this comorbid condition, and the significant factors should be addressed during routine follow-up.
