TY - JOUR
T1 - Symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with thalassemia
T2 - Prevalence and correlates in the thalassemia longitudinal cohort
AU - Mednick, Lauren
AU - Yu, Shuli
AU - Trachtenberg, Felicia
AU - Xu, Yan
AU - Kleinert, Dorothy A.
AU - Giardina, Patricia J.
AU - Kwiatkowski, Janet L.
AU - Foote, Dru
AU - Thayalasuthan, Vivekanandan
AU - Porter, John B.
AU - Thompson, Alexis A.
AU - Schilling, Leann
AU - Quinn, Charles T.
AU - Neufeld, Ellis J.
AU - Yamashita, Robert
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires lifelong adherence to a complicated and burdensome medical regimen which could potentially impact emotional functioning of patients. The importance of understanding and promoting healthy emotional functioning is crucial not only to psychological well-being, but also to physical health as it has been shown to impact adherence to medical regimens [1-4]. The current study aimed to [1] determine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescent and adult patients with thalassemia; and [2] explore possible demographic, medical, and psychosocial correlates of these symptoms in 276 patients (14-58 years old, M age = 27.83; 52% female). Overall, most patients did not report experiencing significant symptoms of anxiety and depression (33% of participants indicated experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 11% symptoms of depression). Females and older patients were more likely to experience these symptoms than males and younger patients. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively associated with self-report of difficulty with adherence and negatively associated with quality of life. Given these findings, regular screening for anxiety and depression symptoms could help to identify at-risk individuals to provide them with appropriate psychological support with the goal of improving both emotional and physical health.
AB - Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires lifelong adherence to a complicated and burdensome medical regimen which could potentially impact emotional functioning of patients. The importance of understanding and promoting healthy emotional functioning is crucial not only to psychological well-being, but also to physical health as it has been shown to impact adherence to medical regimens [1-4]. The current study aimed to [1] determine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescent and adult patients with thalassemia; and [2] explore possible demographic, medical, and psychosocial correlates of these symptoms in 276 patients (14-58 years old, M age = 27.83; 52% female). Overall, most patients did not report experiencing significant symptoms of anxiety and depression (33% of participants indicated experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 11% symptoms of depression). Females and older patients were more likely to experience these symptoms than males and younger patients. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively associated with self-report of difficulty with adherence and negatively associated with quality of life. Given these findings, regular screening for anxiety and depression symptoms could help to identify at-risk individuals to provide them with appropriate psychological support with the goal of improving both emotional and physical health.
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U2 - 10.1002/ajh.21826
DO - 10.1002/ajh.21826
M3 - Article
C2 - 20806230
AN - SCOPUS:77957688789
VL - 85
SP - 802
EP - 805
JO - American Journal of Hematology
JF - American Journal of Hematology
SN - 0361-8609
IS - 10
ER -