Chronic disease treatment seeking and depression
| Pages | 135-144 |
| Date | 08 August 2019 |
| Published date | 08 August 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-01-2019-0007 |
| Author | Noah Lorincz-Comi,Samba Bah,Howard T. Welser,Jack Maduka |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Chronic disease treatment seeking
and depression
Noah Lorincz-Comi, Samba Bah, Howard T. Welser and Jack Maduka
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of depression symptoms and their
associated severityon reducing treatment sought for chronicmedical conditions in respondents livingin
a low-/middle-incomecountry.
Design/methodology/approach –Data for this paper are provided by the national cross-sectional
World Health Survey(2003) completed in Pakistan. The authors constructedtwo samples: one reporting
an angina diagnosis (n¼150) and anotheran arthritis diagnosis (n¼176), each reporting two or more
respective disease symptoms. Logistic regression models, after controlling for confounding variables,
were performedto predict treatment receivedin the last two weeks for respondents’respective disease.
Findings –In respondentswith angina, depression severitysignificantly reduced the likelihoodof angina
treatment received in the two weeks before survey; depression treatment significantly increased this
likelihood. In respondents with arthritis, no psychopathologic variables predicted arthritis treatment
received.
Research limitations/implications –This paper worksto elucidate the constructs underlying the heavy
chronic diseaseburdens, we currently witness inlow-/middle-income countries. As theauthors’ design is
cross-sectional, futureresearch would benefit from using longitudinal designsto further investigate the
relationshipbetween these morbidities.
Practical implications –These findings encourage further collaboration between medical and mental
health professionals to developstratified treatment strategies, especially in potentially underdeveloped
settings, such as Pakistan. Thispaper also encourages the development of policy intended to provide
residents ofPakistan and countries in similar socioeconomicpositions with more medical and psychiatric
treatmentservices.
Originality/value –This paper is unique in identifying the relationship between these morbidities in a
large, population-basedsample of respondentsfrom a low-/middle-income country,Pakistan.
Keywords Depression, Angina, Arthritis, Chronic disease (CD)
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Who seeks medical care when they need it, and who does not? Chronic medical conditions
(CMCs), non-communicable disease of long duration that generally worsen over time if left
untreated, were responsible for more than 50 per cent of global deaths in 2012 (World
Health Organization, 2014). Death rates for people with these conditions living in low- and
middle-income countries (LMICs), currently defined by the World Bank Group as countries
having a gross national income per capita of $995–$3,895($766–$3,035 in 2003, The World
Bank Group, 2019), are an estimated 70 per cent higher than death rates in high-income
countries (Abegunde et al., 2007) and 80 per cent of those in LMICs with a chronic
condition will eventually die from it (Alwan et al.,2011). Management of these
diseases costs an estimated $5.8bn in these lower income countries and $340 trillion for
high-income countries (Beaglehole et al., 2007;United States Department of Health and
Human Services, 2010). While sparse health care infrastructure in economically
disadvantaged settings may contribute to a lack of health care usage (Peters et al.,2008;
Noah Lorincz-Comi is
based at the Institute of
Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience, King’s
College London, London,
UK. Samba Bah is based at
Center for International
Studies, Ohio University,
Athens, Ohio, USA.
Howard T. Welser is based
at the Department of
Sociology, Ohio University,
Athens, Ohio, USA.
.Jack Maduka is based at
Center for International
Studies, Ohio University,
Athens, Ohio, USA.
Received 15 January 2019
Revised 17 April 2019
Accepted 3 June 2019
DOI 10.1108/JPMH-01-2019-0007 VOL. 19 NO. 2 2020, pp. 135-144, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 jJOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH jPAGE 135
To continue reading
Request your trial