Abstract

Background: There is inadequate research on anxiety and depression in the primary caregivers of the patients under- going dialysis.
Objective: To analyze the anxiety and depression of primary caregivers of patients undergoing dialysis using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 52 patients from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, Kochi, Kerala, India. Their mental health was assessed by using HADS. The patient’s caregivers were categorized into three groups based on their age namely <40 years, 41–59 years, and >60 years. The caregiver’s characteristics such as relationship, educational status, type of family, income status, frequency of dialysis, number of hospitalization per year, and monthly expenditure for dialysis were taken into consideration. Result: The total number of caregivers enrolled in this study was 52 (men: 18, women: 34). The overall HADS indicated that both anxiety and depression were mildly higher than the normal. However, the gender-based analyses showed that women caregivers were moderately depressed and mildly anxious that too middle-aged female caregivers were affected with both, whereas in men the young male caregivers were in mild depression. In the remaining male groups, no significant depression and anxiety were noted. Conclusion: The middle-aged women caregivers (41–59 years) were mildly depressed and anxious when compared with other groups.