Mental health conditions in people affected by filarial lymphoedema in Malawi: prevalence, associated risk factors and the impact of an enhanced self-care intervention

Barrett, Carrie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8623-383X, Chiphwanya, John, Chaponda, Limbikani, Matipula, Dorothy E, Turner, Joseph ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2185-5476, Taylor, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3396-9275, Read, Jonathan M and Kelly-Hope, Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3330-7629 (2023) 'Mental health conditions in people affected by filarial lymphoedema in Malawi: prevalence, associated risk factors and the impact of an enhanced self-care intervention'. International Health, Vol 15, Issue Supplement_3, iii14-iii27.

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Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the key mental health indicators affecting people affected by lymphatic filariasis (LF) lymphoedema by assessing the prevalence of depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL), identifying associated sociodemographic and clinical risk factors, and evaluating the impact of an enhanced self-care intervention for lymphoedema management.
Methods: A prospective cohort study of adults with filarial lymphoedema from two regions of Malawi was conducted over six months in 2021. Depressive symptoms and QOL were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and LF Specific QOL Questionnaire, respectively, at baseline (pre-intervention), 3- and 6-months (postintervention). Beta regression analysis identified risk factors, and assessed the impact of the intervention.
Results: Three hundred eleven affected individuals were surveyed with 23% (95% CI 18%–29%) reporting mild/moderate depressive symptoms and 31% (95% CI 26%–37%) reporting moderately low/low QOL. Higher depressive symptom scores were associated with high frequency of acute filarial attack episodes. Individuals with higher depressive symptoms (Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) 0.93, 95% CI 0.93–0.93) and lower QOL (AOR 0.98, 0.98–0.98) showed greatest improvement in mental health indicators over 3-months but was not sustained to the same level at 6-months.
Conclusions: Sustained morbidity management and psychological support is recommended for affected persons to ensure long-term positive mental health and clinical outcomes.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	WA Public Health > WA 20.5 Research (General) WC Communicable Diseases > WC 20 Research (General) WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 880 Filariasis and related conditions (General)
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihad064
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User:	JISC Pubrouter
Date Deposited:	17 Jan 2024 14:31
Last Modified:	17 Jan 2024 14:31
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/23713

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