Comparison of Depression Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Cancer and Thalassemia Major Disorder

Depression is one of the most prevalent mood disorders associated with loss of pleasure, lack of motivation, and sleep disorders. Chronic diseases, such as cancer and major thalassemia can increase the risk of depression with varying severity in children and adolescents. The present study aimed to compare depression symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic cancer and thalassemia major.

This descriptive cross-sectional and analytical study was performed on a number of 100 children and adolescents with cancer and 100 children and adolescents with thalassemia who were admitted to Shafa Hospital of Ahvaz, Iran. Data were collected using Maria Kovacs children's depression inventory (CDI) and demographic variables and analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using the independent t-test.

As evidenced by the obtained results, the mean score of depression in the cancer group was significantly higher, as compared to that in the thalassemia group (P=0.04). Moreover, the mean score of depression was significantly correlated with demographic variables, including age, length of disease, and educational performance in children and adolescents with cancer (P<0.05). Nonetheless, in patients with thalassemia, a significant relationship was only detected between depression score and gender (P<0.05).

The results of the current study demonstrated that children and adolescents with cancer obtained a higher rate of depression, compared to patients with thalassemia. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize faster psychological therapeutic interventions in this group of children and adolescents.