Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders and Their Influence on Quality of Life in Ulcerative Colitis Patients

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of mental health problems in ulcerative colitis patients and their effect on patient’s quality of life (Qol).

Study Design: Multicentre and cross sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, Nowshera, and Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar Pakistan from March 2023 and March 2024.

Methods: The current research includes 50 ulcerative colitis patients. The patients' QoL was evaluated by employing the IBDQ-32 and the psychological aspects in these patients were evaluated using the DASS-21. SPSS version 23 software was used for the statistical analysis of all data.

Results: Multiple regression analysis demonstrated a negative correlation of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and QoL in our study. Higher anxiety scores were linked with worse QoL in systemic symptoms (p ˂0.05) and intestinal symptoms (p ˂0.05) and Depression scores were also linked with worse QoL (p<0.001) in emotional function, whereas stress scores were associated with poorer QoL (p=0.002) in the social support domain.

Conclusion: This study looked at the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in ulcerative colitis patients. All of the parameters were linked to worse quality of life. Thus, psychological symptoms must be taken into report and treated promptly when designing interventions to enhance QoL for patients of ulcerative colitis