Prevalence and correlates of stress, anxiety, and depression in patients with chronic diseases: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Many chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and respiratory problems, can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and depression among patients. Likewise, psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression can elevate the risk of developing chronic diseases. The objective of the study was to examine the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression in individuals with chronic diseases, as well as to identify the chronic disease with the highest prevalence among all chronic conditions and the factors associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Results: In our study, the prevalence rate of stress, anxiety, and depression in patients having chronic diseases was found to be 68.7%, 51.1%, and 58.8%, respectively. The chronic diseases which are included in this study are cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer, respiratory disorders, degenerative disorders, chronic kidney disease, and chronic liver disorders. Among these diseases, cardiovascular disease patients were found to have the highest prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression. The psychosocial determinants that can trigger stress, anxiety, and depression were analyzed. The factors like age, marital status, primary caretakers of the patient, social isolation, length of hospital stay, social relationships, number of frequent visits to the hospital/month, and the lifestyle of the patient have a significant association with the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Factors like monthly income and educational status were also found to be statistically significant with the stress levels, and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay was significantly associated with the levels of anxiety. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study found a high prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among patients with chronic disease(s). Among all the chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease patients were found to have the highest prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression. In addition, our study also identified several psychosocial factors that contribute to the development of these mental health conditions which exacerbate the present chronic condition of the patient. These findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of chronic disease on mental health problems.