Depression, stigma and quality of life in people with drug-susceptible TB and drug-resistant TB in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Drug resistance poses a major barrier to global control of TB - a leading infectious cause of death. Depression and stigma occur commonly among people with TB. However, the relationship between drug-resistant forms of TB, depression and stigma are not well understood.

OBJECTIVE : To compare depression, stigma and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), among people with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

METHODS: A cross-sectional study of people treated for DS-TB and MDR-TB in four provinces of Vietnam. The survey included a stigma scale (Vietnamese Tuberculosis Stigma Scale), depression scale (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and HRQoL scale (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Tuberculosis). Differences between the two populations were compared using linear regression.

RESULTS: Eighty-one people with DS-TB and 315 people with MDR-TB participated in the study. People with MDR-TB had a higher prevalence of depression than those with DS-TB (difference 17.8%, chi(2) 8.64). The mean depression and stigma scores were higher for people with MDR-TB than those with DS-TB(adjusted difference [AD] 8.6 and 7.6 respectively). People with MDR-TB reported lower HRQoL than those with DS-TB (AD -23.8).

CONCLUSION: Depression and stigma are common among people with TB in Vietnam. Strategies to prevent and treat depressive symptoms and stigma in people with TB are critical to a holistic, patient-centred approach to care.