Prevalence of depression and associated factors among primary caregivers of adult cancer patients, Sidama region Southern Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

Background The effect of cancer diagnosis affects the psychological well-being of the caregivers of cancer patients and results in a risk of psychiatric morbidity.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depression among primary caregivers of adult cancer patients.

Objective This study aimed to assess the magnitude of depression and associated factors among primary caregivers of adult cancer patients.

Methodology Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among primary caregivers of adult cancer patients.

The convenient sampling method used to recruit caregivers of cancer patients.

The data was collected by using the Amharic version patient health questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS version 25.

Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of depression and bivariable and multivariable regression models were used to determine the net effect of each independent variable on depression.

Results The overall prevalence of depression among adult cancer patient caregivers was 54.1% (95% CI 47.6, 60.6).

Household size < 3; (AOR = 4.5, 95% CI: 1.1–13), Monthly income < 600 (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI:2.5–15.9), Caring hours ≥ 9 (AOR = 9, 95% CI:4–21), Burden level ≥ 20 ;(AOR = 10.7, 95% CI:9.3–11.6) were independent factors of depression among primary caregivers of cancer patients.

Conclusion The results of this study showed a higher prevalence of depressed symptoms among primary caregivers of cancer patients.

Long caring hours, small household size, low-income level, and higher burden level were independent factors of caregiver depression, indicating the urgent necessity to investigate and deal with it through interdisciplinary approaches.