Depression and Stigma among tuberculosis patients in a tertiary care hospital in India

Individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis often experience concerns regarding potential social isolation affecting their family life, education, marriage, occupation, treatment, and social life. The goal of the present study was to determine the prevalence of stigma and depression in tuberculosis patients as well as their association with clinical and demographic factors.

A cross-sectional study was done on tuberculosis patients reporting to Pulmonology OPD of tertiary care, settling with an estimated sample size of 303. Convenience sampling was used to collect the data after obtaining permission from the Institutional Ethical Committee. Written Informed consent was obtained from the participants prior to data collection. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was employed to assess depression, while stigma was evaluated using the Tuberculosis Stigma Scale (TSS).

The mean age was 44.33 ± 15.6 years, with a majority being males (54.8 %) and 58.7 % were married. The majority of patients (70 %) exhibited depression, followed by 30 % who did not show depression. Regarding stigma, 80 % of the patients experienced stigma, while 20 % did not have stigma. The correlation was estimated as a negative significant relationship between depression and stigma (r = -0.186; P-value = 0.05).

This study shows a high prevalence of depression and stigma among patients with tuberculosis. It also highlights the disability associated with tuberculosis and the burden it places on patients and caregivers.