Depression in chronic hemodialysis patients: screening and associated factors on a Tunisian sample

Authors

Arbaoui, Amal; Lagha, Mona; Abderrahim, Ezzedine; Chermiti, Mohamed

Citation

Arab J Nephrol Transplant. 2026;8(2):72–76. doi: 10.4103/AJNT.AJNT_14_25

Abstract

Background: Depression is the most common psychiatric distress in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. It is associated with several factors that have to be recognized for the prevention and proper management of this mental health disorder. Aims: Screening for the presence of depression in chronic HD patients, evaluating its severity, and identifying its associated factors. Patient and methods: We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study between June and December 2022 in public and private HD centers in a Tunisian governorate. Depression was screened using the Beck Depression Inventory in its full version. Results: A total of 175 patients were included in the final study. The mean age was 56.5 ± 15.8 years, with a male predominance. We detected moderate to severe depression in 58.3% of cases. Univariate analysis revealed 18 variables correlated with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. In multivariate analysis, five variables were retained, which were in descending order of risk: low socioeconomic status [adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 5.478, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.549–19.376), P = 0.008], insomnia [ORa = 5.34, 95% CI (1.483–19.214), P = 0.01], recourse to an emergency HD session [ORa = 3.847, 95% CI (1.483–19.214), P = 0.009], pruritus [ORa = 3.46, 95% CI (1.195–10.039), P = 0.022] and illiterate or primary education level [ORa = 3.26, 95% CI (1.056–10.064), P = 0.04]. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of systematically screening for depression in chronic HD patients and addressing its modifiable risk factors.

Full text (excerpt)

Depression in hemodialysis patients: screening and associated factors on a Tunisian sample Amal Arbaoui¹, Mona Lagha², Ezzedine Abderrahim³, Mohamed Chermiti⁴ ¹Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, ²Department of Psychiatry C, Razi Hospital, Manouba, ³Department of Nephrology, University of Tunis El Manar, ⁴Department of Psychiatry, Charles Nicolle Hospital of Tunis, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia; ¹Department of Psychiatry, Regional Hospital of Kef, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia Correspondence to Dr. Amal Arbaoui, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia. Tel: +33753765178. E-mail: [email protected] Received 06 December 2025 Revised 01 February 2026 Accepted 16 February 2026 Published 28 June 2026 Arab Journal of Nephrology and Transplantation 2026; 8:72-76 Abstract Background Depression is the most common psychiatric distress in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. It is associated with several factors that have to be recognized for the prevention and proper management of this mental health disorder. Aims Screening for the presence of depressio

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The Arab Journal of Nephrology and Transplantation is the peer-reviewed open-access journal of ASNRT, published since 2008.

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