Trajectories and risk factors of depressive symptomatology following hysterectomy.

Objectives: Hysterectomy is the second most common gynecological surgery performed on reproductive aged women in the United States. It is not known if some groups of women are more susceptible to depression after hysterectomy.

Methods: Participants were scheduled for hysterectomy for benign causes and not undergoing a concomitant urogynecological procedure. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was collected 2 weeks before, and 1, 4, and 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months post-hysterectomy to understand depressive symptoms associated with surgery. PHQ-9 patterns were identified with latent class analyses. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate relative risk ratios (RRR) and 95% CIs of associations between baseline sociodemographic, clinical, and operative-related characteristics and PHQ-9 class.

Results: Three latent classes (C) were identified from their PHQ-9 score patterns among 455 participants: high and increasing (C1, 15.6%), high and decreasing (C2, 27.7%), and persistently low PHQ-9 trajectory (C3, 56.7%). Insurance type, financial toxicity, pain level, and surgical decision satisfaction before surgery were statistically significantly associated with class membership. At surgery, C1 members were more likely to have public insurance (RRR=2.04, CI: 1.02-4.08), worse finances (0.92, 0.89-0.96), and higher pain (1.22, 1.10-1.35) than members of C3. C2 members were more likely to have worse finances (0.94, 0.91-0.96) than C3 members. C1 members tended to have higher pain (1.14, 1.02-1.26) than C2 members.

Conclusions: Depression symptomology after hysterectomy may be associated with presurgical insurance type, financial toxicity, current pain level, and satisfaction. More research is needed to investigate whether these factors can be incorporated into preoperative counseling and screening tools to guide shared decision-making regarding depression and surgery.