Visual impairment is associated with depressive symptoms-results from the nationwide german DEGS1 dtudy
Introduction: Visual impairment is associated with a variety of co-morbidities including physical and mental health in industrial countries. Our aim is to examine associations between self-reported impairment and depressive symptoms in the German population. Methods: The point prevalence of self-rep...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
09 April 2018
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| In: |
Frontiers in psychiatry
Year: 2018, Volume: 9 |
| ISSN: | 1664-0640 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00114 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00114 Verlag, Volltext: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00114/full 
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| Author Notes: | Alexander K. Schuster, Jonas Tesarz, Jasmin Rezapour, Manfred E. Beutel, Bernd Bertram and Norbert Pfeiffer |
| Summary: | Introduction: Visual impairment is associated with a variety of co-morbidities including physical and mental health in industrial countries. Our aim is to examine associations between self-reported impairment and depressive symptoms in the German population. Methods: The point prevalence of self-reported visual impairment in Germany was computed using data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for adults from 2008 to 2011 (N=7.783, 50.5% female, age range 18-79 years). Visual impairment was surveyed by two questions, one for seeing faces at a distance of 4 meters and one for reading newspapers. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the PHQ-9 questionnaire and two-week prevalence was computed with weighted data. Depressive symptoms were defined by a value of ≥10. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze an association between self-reported visual impairment and depressive symptoms. Multivariable analysis including adjustment for age, gender, socio-economic status and chronic diseases were carried out with weighted data. Results: The two-week prevalence of depressive symptoms was 20.8% (95%-CI: 16.6 - 25.7%) for some difficulties in distance vision and 14.4% (95%-CI: 7.5 - 25.9%) for severe difficulties in distance vision, while 17.0% (95%-CI: 13.3 - 21.4%) resp. 16.7% (95%-CI: 10.7 - 25.1%) for near vision. Analysis revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with self-reported visual impairment for reading resp. with low visual impairment for distance vision. Multivariable regression analysis including potential confounders confirmed these findings. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are a frequent finding in subjects with difficulties in distance and near vision with a prevalence of up to 24%. Depressive comorbidity should therefore be evaluated in subjects reporting visual impairment. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 28.08.2019 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1664-0640 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00114 |