Prevalence of Depression among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Oman

Background: Presently, there is an abundance of research indicating that depressive symptoms are a common occurrence in people with Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). However, the mechanism by which this occurs is yet to be established. And although many studies of this sort have emerged the world over, this topic has still been under-researched in the Arabian Gulf, a region with a high preponderance of T2DM. Aims: To establish the psychometric properties of an instrument for soliciting depressive symptoms among patients with T2DM, to calculate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to tease out the factors that contribute to variations in depressive symptoms. Method: A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to establish the cut-off for case-ness or otherwise. Variations in depressive symptoms were solicited using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21) and clinical variables and risk factors were sought from medical records . Results : One hundred and four individuals fulfilled the study criteria (response rate = 69%). The ROC-suggested cut-off ≥13 on the BDI-21 matched with 94% sensitivity and 71% specificity. Using this cut-off, 7.7% of the sample endorsed depressive symptoms. Age, marital status, and income were found to strongly moderate the depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The low prevalence rate observed in the present study places the results of this study on the lower ranges when compared to the international trend. Nevertheless, mechanisms are needed to mitigate the presence of depressive symptoms among people seeking consultation in diabetic clinics in Oman.