Depression, Quality of Life and Participation Level of People with Post-Hansen’s Disease Living in Selected States in SouthEast, Nigeria

Background: Hansen's disease is a disease that causes not only physical problem but also psychological and social problems. Too much emphasis on medical care can lead to neglect in the holistic rehabilitation of post-Hansen's disease persons. Aim: This study was carried out to assess the level of depression, quality of life and participation level of post-Hansen's disease persons living in South-East Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the post-Hansen's disease persons using the Major Depression Inventory for level of depression, SF-12 Health Survey for quality of life, and Participation Scale for participation level. The obtained data was summarized using descriptive statistics of frequency distribution tables and charts, mean and standard deviation, and analyzed using inferential statistics of Spearman's rank correlation and Chi-square test. Alpha level was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 99 persons (51 males, 48 females) within 22-88 years participated in this study. The results of this study showed that majority of the participants were severely depressed (79.8%), majority had poor quality of life (57.6%), and majority were moderately restricted in participation(56.6%).There was no significant correlation among the level of depression, quality of life and participation level. Age and gender did not significantly influence their level of depression, quality of life and participation level (p>0.05). Conclusion: The outcome of this study showed that majority of post-Hansen's disease persons living in South-East Nigeria are depressed with a poor quality of life.There is a need to implement measures that would improve the psychosocial and socio-economic rehabilitation services for post-Hansen's disease persons.