Family support and depression among adult patients with tuberculosis attending a Tertiary Hospital in north-central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) infection can have negative effect in the lives of patients, hence the need to carry out research to determine the extent of such impact. Depression prevalence is higher among patients with tuberculosis than the general population. Family support affects the outcome of many chronic diseases including tuberculosis. Hence, the study set out to determine the prevalence of depression and its relationship with family support among this group of people.
Methods: A hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 adult patients with Tuberculosis attending University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital by systematic random sampling. Pretested interviewer administered structured and semistructured questionnaires were used to obtain information on socio- demographic characteristics, perceived family support and prevalence of depression. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21 and p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The prevalence of depression among respondents was 28.3%. Perceived family support was strong among 78.9% of respondents. There was statistically significant association between depression and family support (p- value = < 0.001) among respondents.
Conclusion: Poor family support is a risk factor for depression among tuberculosis patients. Hence, family members of patients with tuberculosis should be counselled and encouraged to offer appropriate support in order to improve their psychosocial well being.

Key words: Family support, Depression, Tuberculosis, Family Medicine, Hospital