ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG TYPE 2 DIABETICS VISITING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER AT ARMED FORCES HOSPITAL IN DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA: PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and to identify the associated risk factors of anxiety and depression among T2DM patients. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2021 in a primary health care center (PHCC) at armed forces hospital in Dhahran, Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Calculated sample size was 341 Saudi nationals T2DM patients aging between 18 to 40 years. Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was used to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression among study participants. Results: Prevalence of anxiety was found among 76(22.6%) and depression in 40(11.9%) of the study participants. Significantly high proportion of female patients were suffering from anxiety (p=0.007) and depression (0.003). Marital status and presence of comorbidities were also found significant association with prevalence of anxiety and depression. Management of diabetes through diet and exercise or taking oral medicine reduced the chances of anxiety (p=0.00 and p=0.00) and depression (p=0.001 and p=0.015). Conclusion: The study has shown that the prevalence of anxiety among T2DM was found higher than depression. Several factors were found significant cause of developing anxiety and depression namely, gender, marital status, occupation, comorbidities and diabetes management. Keywords: T2DM, Anxiety, Depression, Primary health care, Prevalenc