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Study: Orthopedic injury linked to factors that can cause or worsen depression
Patients with traumatic orthopedic injuries experienced a high prevalence of depression, according to study results.
Among 110 orthopedic trauma patients admitted as inpatients, researchers administered the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression screening, Duke Social Support and Stress Scale (DUSOCS) for social support, a psychiatric history and work status. At the time of injury, 22 patients had moderate-to-major depression, and 36 patients had mild depression.
Overall, 48 patients completed the follow-up surveys that were taken 9 months after the date of injury.
According to study results, a history of illegal drug use and a lower DUSOCS support score were significant factors for mild depression at the time of injury, whereas a history of psychiatric diagnosis and unemployment at injury were significant factors for moderate-to-major depression.
DUSOCS also had a negative Pearson correlation coefficient with PHQ-9. The researchers found predictors of having depression at 9 months included a history of psychiatric diagnosis, an elevated PHQ-9 score and having Medicaid insurance at the time of injury.
Disclosure: Ziran is a consultant for Stryker, Synthes and Medtronic and owns equity stake in Tekartis and Symbod.