Analyses of Depression and Hopelessness Level in Women who Underwent Hysterectomy [Histerektomi Ameliyati Olmuş Kadinlarda Depresyon ve Umutsuzluk Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi]

OBJECTIVE: This descriptive study has been performed to analyse depression and hopelessness level of women who underwent hysterectomy and to establish the relationship between depression and sociodemographic preperties of patients. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and four patients who underwent hysterectomy in Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, between dates 15/1/02 and 15/3/02 have been enrolled to the study. Among 104 patients, 80 have been agreed to atlend the study. Data were collected by interview and using Beck depression and hopelessness scales. RESULT(s): Thirty-five percent of the women who underwent hysterectomy were in 46 to 50-agegroup, 38.8 % were elementary or secondary school graduates, 81.2 % were unemployed and 55.0 % were housewives. Mean depression scores appeared to reduce as level of education increased. Mean depression scores were 25.00±10.74 for the literate women, 18.61±10.77 for the elemantary or secondary school graduates, 18.00+10.19 for the high school graduates, and 13.86±8.98 for the university graduates, yielding a statistically significant diference between literate and high school/university graduate women (P0.05). CONCLUSION(s): In this study, in an attempt to determine the depression and hopelessness levels of women who underwent hysterectomy, a significant relationship was found between their levels of education and mean depression scores. However, the relationship between their ages, marital status, number of living children and mean hopelessness scores was found to be insignificant