Factors associated with the prevalence of depression among people with oculocutaneous albinism in Jinja,Uganda.A cross sectional study

Background Depression is among the common psychiatric disorders with high prevalence in the general population.This prevalence is higher in vulnerable populations including people living with albinism. Despite the fact that several aspects linked with it have been found among people with oculocutaneous albinism in the Busoga region, limited information is available regarding prevalence of depression and its associated factors in the study area.The main objective of the present study was to determine the factors associated with the prevalence of depression among people with oculocutaneous albinism in Jinja. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to capture data from a study sample size of 384 adults living with oculocutaneous albinism who were involved in completion of the screening tests for depression Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25(HSCL-25).The summation of scores for depression were averaged and the probable depression determined for each participant using a cut-off of 1.75. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between depression outcomes, socio-demographic and psychomedical factors. Results The analyses revealed that the prevalence of depression among people with oculocutaneous albinism in Jinjacity stands at 65.4%. Depression was significantly associated with age (AOR = 1.059, 95% CI = 1.020–1.100, P = 0.003), lack of family support (AOR = 0.505, 95% CI = 0.286–0.892, P = 0.019), history of diabetes mellitus (AOR = 12.030, 95% CI = 1.117–12.961, P = 0.040), marital status by being married(AOR = 0.505, 95% CI = 0.286–0.892, P = 0.019) and taking chronically medication (AOR = 6.583, 95% CI = 1.618–26.782, P = 0.008). Conclusions These findings show that the estimated prevalence of depression among people with oculocutaneous albinism in the study area is high and worrying. Age, marital status, lack of family support, history of diabetes mellitus, and taking chronically medication are important risk factors associated with the prevalence of depressive disorders. Strategies targeting early interventions are needed in order to reduce risk factors of the disease and improve the quality of life of people with oculocutaneous albinism in Jinja.