Depression in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury Referred to the Specialized Centers in Tehran, Iran

Depression has an effective role in the performance of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and causes several health disorders that affect all life aspects of such patients including their goals and communications and most importantly, health-related quality of life. The current study aimed at investigating depression in patients with SCI referred to the specialized centers of SCI in Tehran, Iran.
In the current descriptive study, depression status of 51 patients with SCI referred to the specialized centers of the SCI in Tehran from July to November 2017 was investigated using the second version of Beck depression inventory (BDI). The mean depression in and the different levels of the SCI were compared using the statistical tests of Kruskal-Wallis H and independent samples t test; the severity of depression in these groups was determined according to test instructions and the distribution of individuals into different classes of severity of depression was determined and compared using the statistical tests of Pearson correlation, chi-square, and the Fisher exact.
The mean score of BDI was above 18 in age and gender groups and there was no significant difference between the groups regarding age (P = 0.301), gender (P = 0.199), and level of SCI (P = 0.374). But, there was a significant difference in the distribution of individuals according to the classification of the severity of depression in the age groups (P = 0.045), however, the difference in the distribution of subjects was not significant in both the gender and the SCI level groups (P = 0.567 and P = 0.477, respectively).
The obtained results revealed the need for paying more attention by the authorities and policy makers to the psychological complications, especially depression and providing proper therapeutic services for patients with SCI.