GENDER BASED DIFFERENCES IN DEPRESSION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG PATIENTS OF HIV, GONADAL CANCER, HEPATITIS B AND HEPATITIS C.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the gender based differences in depression and social support among patients of HIV, gonadal cancer and hepatitis B & C in tertiary care public hospitals and different organization at Karachi. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional study was conducted on 300 patients (100 HIV, 100 gonadal cancer, 100 hepatitis B & C) , at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College, Civil hospital, Sindh Government hospital, Pakistan Society for HIV patients & Sindh AIDS control program at Karachi, from July 2009 to October 2009. Urdu translated version of Siddiqui and Shah Depression scale and Indigenous Social Support Scale were administered. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used for data collection. RESULTS: Out of 300 patients, 198 (66%) were males and 102 (34%) females with a mean age of 29.95 ±5.25 years. The difference between social support and depression among the patients of HIV, Gonadal cancer and hepatitis B & C between genders (t = -4.043, p < .05) & (t = 4.916, p < .05) was significant. There was a significant mean differences on the variable of social support (male 65.46 ± 48.22, females 88.48 ± 43.65) and depression (male 62.49 ± 24.81, females 48.48 ± 20.35). The frequency of depression among all groups was (25% mild, 18.7% moderate, & 55.7% high) whereas the frequency of social support was (25.3% mild, 49.7% moderate, & 25% high). CONCLUSION: There was a significant difference between male and female depression and social support in the patients of HIV, Gonadal Cancer and Hepatitis B & C patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]