OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression, Anxiety disorder, hopelessness, and suicide among first-degree relatives of patients hospitalized in medical and anesthesia intensive care units at an academic medical centre.
METHODS: In this case-control study conducted in T��rkiye, 32 first-degree relatives of 32 patients hospitalized for 14 days or more in intensive care units and 32 healthy volunteers were assessed. The Beck depression Scale (BDS), Beck Anxiety Scale (BAS), Beck hopelessness Scale (BHS), and suicide Probability Scale (SPS) were administered to participants.
RESULTS: The mean age of patients' relatives was 42.1 �� 11.6 years and that of the controls was 43.0 �� 11.3 years. The median scores for the BDS, BHS, and SPS were significantly higher among the relatives of the patients than among controls ( = .008, = .013, and = .001, respectively). Based on cutoff scores for the BDS and BAS, significant depressive symptoms were observed in 56.3% of the relatives of the patients and significant Anxiety symptoms were observed in 46.9%. Among patients' relatives, the median score for the BDS was significantly higher among female participants than among male participants ( = .038).
CONCLUSIONS: First-degree relatives of patients hospitalized in intensive care units have a higher prevalence of depression, hopelessness, and suicidality. Female relatives scored higher on depressive symptoms than male relatives. psychiatric evaluation/screening of the relatives of patients hospitalized in intensive care units in Turkey is essential.
